Journey
by UglyTruth
Summary: John Quinn and Rashel Jordan have set their sights on finding and joining Circle Daybreak. However, their journey to redemption will challenge them in ways they never anticipated. Takes off after 'The Chosen' and features several characters.
1. Escape

_Day 1, 16:00, Boston_

She was standing in the entrance area of the motel, fingers drumming against the side of the public phone she was making a call from. Hovering there only in the bathrobe supplied by the motel with her hair damp and hanging around her shoulders, she ignored the stares she got from the receptionist. It wasn't like she had other clothes that resembled anything close to wearable right now.

After five resonating rings, a voice crackled through the receiver. "Yes?"

She wanted to shut her eyes in exasperation. With her luck, it would obviously be _her_ answering her call.

"Hi, Vicky"

"Rashel? Well. You've been gone for a while"

The snide voice of the older girl hadn't changed at all. Neither had the naturally authoritative tone that Rashel could only handle for so long without snapping back. She cleared her throat impatiently.

"Look, I have some really important news. For Elliot. Is he around?"

She made sure to emphasize the name so that the other hunter couldn't possibly mistake the meaning behind the sentence. Voices mingled in the background and when the next words were spoken into the receiver, they were thankfully no longer Vicky's.

"Finally! I'd started to actually worry Rashel," the good-natured voice of the Lancer came through, "Good to hear from you"

She could picture him standing there, tall, lanky but on the scrawny side with his intense gaze. Good old Elliot. She actually felt a twinge upon hearing him again, serious but cheerful and found herself missing the old group.

"I've got news"

"Doesn't sound too pleasant. What have you been up to?" She loved how he could almost read her mind on these kinds of things. Directly to the point.

"I took out an enclave last night," she started and relayed the whole course of events in brief to her fellow vampire hunter in less than five minutes. She sidestepped the details of Quinn's presence being the only reason she was still alive and conveniently avoided mentioning the soulmate connection. There was only so much they needed to know.

Elliot gave a low whistle on the other side of the line. "You are unbelievable"

"Don't flatter me. I'm getting to the bad news," she took a deep breath, "Nyala and I made it back on a different boat because we were the last ones out. We were ambushed on the docks this morning. Five of Hunter's people"

She didn't go on. She could hear Elliot's slow release of a breath. "She's not there with you is she?"

"No. I had to leave her. I didn't want to take more risks and I wasn't in the best state. I thought maybe the police could take care of this one. It could have been anyone who committed the murder. They weren't obvious vampire bites…her wounds were beyond that," she cleared her throat awkwardly, realizing to her dismay that It felt tight, "I don't even know how I survived it."

The lie tasted bitter on her tongue. Not telling the whole truth was weighing on her. Elliot didn't notice at all. He sounded awed if anything. Death was not unheard of in their ranks and Nyala had barely been on the team a couple of days before she'd vanished. He hadn't seen what she'd done, what sacrifice she'd brought in the fight, both last night and today. She couldn't judge him for not mourning this loss.

"That's…still intense, Rashel. Making it out of there alive, eliminating all of them, pretty much by yourself. I mean, Vicky mentioned that you had some absurd idea about…"

"Forget Vicky. I knew she wasn't going to make me sound credible. Thing is, these girls that got out of there, they can be anywhere. You guys are much better equipped to find them and teach them than I am out here on my own"

"We'll handle that," he contemplated for a beat, then added, "I think what you did was right. About Nyala's body I mean. So things come to an end for her family. From what I hear, her parents have been beside themselves since their second child disappeared"

"I'm so sorry," Rashel whispered, not knowing how else to contribute.

Elliot let out a sigh on the other end. She could picture him pushing his glasses further up onto the bridge of his nose, a habitual thing he did before he spoke of something particularly significant or when he was lecturing.

"There's only so much a person can do Rashel. You can't beat five vampires at once and look after a barely trained hunter while fighting. That's impossible and you'd both be dead if you'd tried. Things are as they are"

His steady words worked miracles for her. She managed to swallow the guilt and switched back to her all-business voice.

"Anyway, thanks Elliot. It was good talking to you"

"Are you coming by anytime soon?"

"I'm probably not staying in Boston. Got places to go," she answered evasively but with a small smile on her lips, "I'll miss you all though. I might drop in some day. Better keep the password the same"

"Hm. Now I'll have to work hard so I can impress you with my body count when you come back," he chuckled.

"Trying to rival me?" she joked, even though she knew he easily could. There would be no more reckless killing sprees every night for her anymore. From now on, it would always be in defense.

"Don't kill the hope"

She shook her head at him. He'd really been a close acquaintance. She somewhat regretted that she'd never allowed herself to have friends.

"Goodbye Elliot. Good luck"

"Take care, Rashel"

Once the phone was back in place, Rashel trudged back to her room, weighing the leftover coins in her hand but feeling almost weightless with the sorrow taken off. She supposed Nyala's death had only hit her that hard because of the emotional turmoil she'd been in for the last couple of days. Elliot's words had been the balm she needed to cover that emotional wound with.

She locked the door behind herself and dug her toes into the scratchy surface of the carpet. It felt good to have a room to herself. Being shackled in a warehouse, a truck and a cellar with other people in need of rescue had never been her favorite pastime. She appreciated having her solitude back, to gather her wits and clear her head. Most importantly, to catch up on sleep. She was practically useless after so many hours of no proper rest.

As she crawled under the covers, her mind drifted back to the girls and the redhead she'd met in that mansion. Fayth. She'd said she was a Daybreaker. If Rashel had had any idea of how the night was going to end, she would have asked about the Circle then and there. She wondered if the girl had made it out okay.

And Nyala. She couldn't comprehend that the girl had died five hours ago. It wasn't right. It wasn't fair and she shouldn't have let that happen. She was supposed to be the best and she hadn't managed to save the girl who was prepared to give her life. As soon as her eyes shut she could see the queenly head, coated in blood that wouldn't stop gushing from the gaping hole in her throat. Her eyes had been blank, the glassy surface spattered with her own blood. Just because she'd been a couple of seconds too late.

In the end, it had been Quinn who'd snapped the bastard's neck from behind while she struggled to stake the one pinning her to the tarmac. Nyala hadn't lasted half a minute after the battle had been won.

Then there was the matter of Timmy. He'd vanished during the fight along with the female vampire of the ambush group. In the aftermath, she'd wondered if maybe, if he was capable of it, he had called out to Hunter's minions telepathically. Maybe he'd wanted them to be attacked, to enable him to return to the Council's protection in the turmoil of it. Maybe he had sold them out. She could have been wrong about him.

Whether kidnapped or not, he was gone and although Quinn had reached out as far as he could with his mind, they must have had a method of transport nearby to ensure an impeccable escape. There was no finding Timmy when they were exhausted, nutrition-deprived and wounded. It had been Quinn's idea to search out a relatively safe place for the day to allow them both to recover and regain their wits after the chaotic night.

That was actually what she needed to do right now, she realized. Her vision was blurry; she was daydreaming and not even paying attention to the muffled voices drifting up and down the corridor outside, as she usually would have. Quinn had gone to feed so she had a couple of hours to herself and should be spending her time more wisely than contemplating everything that had gone wrong.

A minute later she was out like a light, hand curled around the hilt of her knife underneath the pillow.

That's how Quinn found her upon his return. The sun had already dipped towards the horizon again. He guessed it was well past five o'clock. He'd needed a couple of hours to get everything done and discovered that separation from the vampire hunter had made him edgy. Every now and again he'd found his mind drifting back to her, contemplating if he should check in on her, then dismissing the thought.

It didn't suit him to be worrying about another person. He'd need to get used to this. Having a soulmate. Only a month ago the rumor of it had appeared ridiculous to him.

Prodding the window open from the outside was harder than he'd expected. He'd forgone the main entrance to avoid the security cameras, better safe than sorry. She'd actually done a good job of barricading herself in while he was gone. She'd lodged the handle in such a position that it took some patience on his behalf to unfasten it from the exterior. Once inside, he let the bag he'd been carrying slide to the ground. She never stirred from her sleep though, one hand under her pillow, the other resting near her head.

He remained by the window ledge, watching the rise and fall of the slim, toned body of the girl on the bed that had come to mean something to him, virtually overnight. How the hell had it come to all this? He still couldn't figure it out. Or decide whether or not his recent actions were worth it. He'd turned against his adoptive family, basically betrayed what he had stood for over decades, broken Night World law…the list went on.

In silence, he pulled off his shoes and removed the jacket he'd obtained during his outing. Not removing his eyes from her, he placed them next to the table in the corner. He considered just stripping down the rest because it was warm in the room but he faltered as soon as his hand touched the hem of the stolen shirt. For the first time since many years, he suddenly felt out of his comfort zone.

What if she didn't want this at all? What if she awoke with the realization that she didn't want to be with somebody who had thousands of crimes to atone for, starting with illegal trading and ending with murder?

Somewhere in between there were also the women he'd seduced, sometimes purposely, other times because they'd offered themselves. He wasn't short of experience on anything in this world and just that fact rose to his attention now.

She was his soulmate but that didn't guarantee them a relationship of those sorts. He wasn't even certain either of them desired it to be that way. For him, it was more an honest wish of seeking her acceptance of who he was. Maybe he also hungered simply for an understanding with someone who was as much of an equal as anybody could ever be. She'd already seen some of his ugly sides in that room on the enclave last night, as he had hers.

On one hand, Rashel was surely the last person to judge him for anything he'd done in the past but the issue was, he didn't know how to best handle the bond between them now. In the present he couldn't even define it properly.

He longed for her, sure, he craved her touch and he definitely wouldn't complain about kissing Rashel but it wasn't exactly of a sexual nature. Not truly. Not yet.

He'd been with girls before. Mostly vampires, humans when he felt like more than a quick feed, he'd even had a couple of witches now and then. But she wasn't any of them because she _mattered_. Whatever it was, this connection, he didn't want to ruin it and physical advances could cause just as much damage as they forged deeper attachment. Not that he expected her to want any of these things. He didn't want to her to believe that it was the reason he was here with her.

He took a deep breath; chastising himself for over thinking the simple act of sleeping in a bed with a girl who could see into his soul, witness his demons and his dreams. There wasn't anything to hide. She could pluck his intentions from his head as soon as she regained full consciousness. This contemplation he kept coming back to was growing worse by the hour and it was useless. He supposed it was this that they called being driven crazy by having feelings.

He took his time moving around the bed to the empty side, observing the very subtle sign of her breathing and listening to the heartbeat that he could pick up. Complete ease was expressed in her body language. Even when the bed dipped lightly under his weight, her features didn't shift and he remained propped up on his side for a long time, memorizing the beauty that she wasn't even aware she possessed.

Asleep, it was even more pronounced in the manner in which her hair fell over her shoulders to spill over the white sheets. Her lashes weren't thick but they contrasted her skin, nestled against her cheeks. From there it didn't take long for him to lose focus and drift down to her lips. Not quite full but ever so expressive if she chose to smile. Then again, everything about her physique seemed to complement her personality.

The supple build enabled her to wield her weapons of choice like a fully-fledged ninja. The dark hair in combination with her choice of clothing helped her blend into the darkness she chose to stalk her prey in. The eyes that reminded every Night Worlder, who had the displeasure of being faced with her sword, of the feline she was named after. The softness of her body in her sleep was the only aspect that fooled any stranger that her personality was not as fierce as her nickname. She would have made a perfect vampire. So young but one of the most ferocious creatures he had met.

Quinn extended a hand, brushing it lightly over the bare skin of her forearm that wasn't covered by the pillow and drinking in the warmth of human skin. He should have foreseen the reaction he got with his touch though. Latest by the time the bond fizzled to life inside him and he sensed her consciousness returning like the impact of a punch against his head. The frenzied alarm rushing through his mind was hers alone.

So realistically, he shouldn't have been surprised to find himself straddled by her in a matter of seconds with the pressure of that carved knife against his throat. Her eyes pierced through his with the intensity of the blade crushing his jugular.

Sparks flew and both were caught in that silent explosion, forging their minds into a connection that defied scientific logic. Quinn couldn't just feel her instinctual defense but beneath that her shock; he experienced her fear as she realized whom she was preparing to deliver a killing blow to. She, in turn, sensed his irritation at not reacting fast enough to the attack, his respect for her as a threat. Their eyes locked for an eternity.

Rashel forced her muscles to relax, the dagger to drop away from her soulmate's throat. Her breathing had accelerated with the panic that had swept her senses as she awoke. Being caught unprepared counted as one of her deepest fears. For once, her fingers actually shook as she fisted them in Quinn's shirt.

"Are you insane?" she hissed, eyes blazing into his.

"I've been told so," he replied, not raising a hand to remove her from his hips.

She didn't bother rolling her eyes at him but toned her voice down a couple of notches. She didn't want to alert any neighboring guests. Remaining undercover was the word for what they were doing right now. She couldn't help the authoritative choice of words though.

"Don't sneak up on me. I'm not used to anybody doing that who doesn't want to kill, torture or maim me."

"Then I think you're mistaking me for somebody else," he answered without batting an eyelash, letting a faint smirk come to his lips.

"You're making me think twice about using my knife on you"

No, he didn't exactly fancy being skewered by lignum vitae. Not that he would even let it escalate that far. He switched tactics.

"Realistically, it should be me mistrusting you. You could have called your back-up while I was gone"

"They've actually already surrounded the area and I gave them a description of all the torture you submitted me to. Don't expect anything less than extreme pain. I'm finally putting an end to this hide-and-seek game." Rashel shook her head at him, "Did you seriously expect that from me?"

"I've stopped expecting things. You're unpredictable," he confessed, raising his free hand to run it through his hair, "And you don't know how to trust me"

At this she furrowed her brow, turning her expression into one of irritation. Her fingers released the material in her grip and she let her hands flatten onto his chest. "That's not true. My attack was a reflex. That's not something I can control when this place isn't exactly a safe house"

He remained silent, his pupils enlarging as she leaned closer and cast his face in shadow.

"I trusted you with my life last night. I'm still doing it now," she finished before pulling away.

He tightened his hand on her hip just a fraction to still her movement as she made to get off him. She glanced at it then raised her eyebrows at him in question.

"I want you to know," he began, but paused to choose his words more precisely, "That whatever happens from here on out, I don't want to disappoint your trust. I still don't know what has happened with us but I know you're…what I live for now. I will stay around until you force me to leave."

She appeared taken aback by his confession and didn't reply. Quinn knew it was very out of character for him to lay his emotions bare before someone, much less a human vampire hunter but this was exactly what she did to him. Somehow along the way she had messed with his mind and stirred feelings that he'd almost entirely forgotten.

A soulmate will do that to you, he mused in silence. He remained patient, not pushing for a response but taking his time to watch her face change as she thought about the deeper sense of what he'd said.

He didn't initiate skin on skin contact to delve into her mind or attempt to read her thoughts telepathically. He simply wanted to hear it as though they were two regular people. There was definitely something going on with these human urges he was getting recently.

"So you're saying if I get killed anytime soon, you want to share my grave?" she chuckled, for which he gently shoved her back onto the mattress. She turned her head towards him on the pillow and met the black gaze steadily, seriously, "I…feel the same, you know"

They lay there for some time drinking in another's presence in silence. There was no need for words when there was already such a deep understanding connecting them. He found himself on the verge of dozing off in the comfort she exuded.

_Quinn. _

There was warmth on his temple and a sensation in his mind that was Rashel. His eyes focused on her both in his head and in reality. Her hand drifted down his face from temple to cheek and he was intrigued that the touch had him both igniting and peaceful inside.

_I know this sounds masochistic but…is dying…do you remember what was it like?_

He didn't know where this was coming from but since things had been crazy the entire past thirty-six hours, he wasn't going to start worrying about questions like these. At the moment, they seemed to have all the time in the world and he would answer her anything she wanted to hear.

_It depends. It wouldn't be the same for others. I struggled against my death so it hurt more than it should have. Later, I welcomed the pain of transitioning though. I thought I deserved it. The love of my life had been murdered and I only felt agony at that point. Putting myself through more physical pain was just a mechanism to drown out everything else._

He felt her mental nod of understanding. She sounded wistful as she answered him.

_I've always prided myself on not being afraid to die. I've been reckless when I could have just gone to school and had friends like a normal person. I never wanted to though. I think by facing myself with potential death every other night I was proving myself invincible. I was convincing myself that I didn't have to be scared and if I could do that, I could beat anything._

_But you are afraid. _Quinn noted softly and felt her hand twitch fractionally before it dropped away from him. He reached out and clasped her fingers on the mattress with his own. _That's not shameful. Even my kind isn't immune to death. We're much the same – feeling invincible. We forget that eternity does not mean invulnerability. _

_I'm more scared now than I was as the Cat. _She confessed and he felt her inner conflict at exposing this weakness so voluntarily to him. _The only thing that is different is that I'm not scared for my own life. I'm worried about what would happen if you died now. And I'm scared of being scared for someone else. I'm scared of caring. _

Something burned inside him at her words. Her honesty struck him deep and he knew he did not deserve any of her worries after his past actions. However, this made her fear for him even more potent. He was overcome with admiration. She was honorable even as she admitted to her secret feeble points. She was perfect in her contradictions.

"That doesn't make you weak," he reassured her.

"I've seen it with Daphne last night. I allowed our relationship to get in the way of my job and that risked all the girls' lives. I know that it makes me stupid and irrational and in any sticky situation it will kill me," she pointed out, removing her hand from his. Her voice turned sarcastic as she reminded him, "Kill or be killed"

"A week ago I would have agreed," he admitted, "But I know we survived this morning's fight because we both think this way now"

Her cat-eyes flicked back to him and she flashed him a wary smile. "Or because we both have trained and killed for too many years"

"From what I've seen on the human side of things, you people work well because you come in bulk. Your teammates stand up for another and that is their strength. Well, not in your case. Cats are known to be loners" he couldn't help the smirk on the last part.

Rashel lifted herself onto her elbows, whispering to the ceiling, "When did the universe decide to punish me with a wisecracking bloodsucker for a soulmate?"

"Since you secretly wanted an experienced old man?" he mocked and received a not so gentle elbow jab from her. He almost winced as it hit in between the ribs. Old habits died hard and her expert martial arts trained shone through with every little move she made.

She sat up now, ran her hands through her dry hair a couple of times to tease out any knots, then flipped the dark strands over one shoulder. He couldn't help but admire the curve of her neck down to her waist and the taught muscle of her back as she shifted.

"So, did you by any chance get some clothes?" she asked with a pointed look over her shoulder.

"Yes," he indicated to the stuffed backpack he'd left near the window. She made her way over smoothly and rifled through his obtained treasures. Quinn, on the other hand, went into the bathroom while she was busy to indulge on a quick shower. He hadn't taken the liberty of a break yet and had left to satisfy his hunger and give his newfound soulmate some space.

As the shower started running, Rashel unearthed a handful of t-shirts from the bottom of the bag. She assumed that he had just grabbed a few in the hope that one would fit. They didn't have price tags on them and she hoped that meant he hadn't shoplifted for her sake. Although, they could easily have been stolen off a washing line too.

She unfolded them until she found one that sat loosely but at least didn't hang somewhere near her knees. Pants had been a harder find for him. After digging through the entire bag, the only piece of clothing that could be meant for her appeared to be some black shorts. Upon slipping into them she realized they must have been meant for someone like a skinny fifteen year old because she definitely found them much too tight to pass as comfortable.

She had the urge to laugh. Even she, the girl who despised shopping and wasting money on easily ruined clothing in general, could have done better. Then she realized that he was probably never forced to steal clothes with his lifestyle, yet alone to suit the requirements of a vampire hunter he was on the run with. Laying low really wasn't going to be easy.

Taking a few steps around the room to loosen up the shorts somewhat and stretch her muscles, she immediately leapt to attention at a knock on the door. Silently and with precise speed, she lunged for her discarded weapon on the bed.

"Delivery service," called a bored voice from the other side just as she snatched up her dagger. Rashel paused, contemplated, then slipped the knife into the back of her shorts, hand at the ready to whip it out.

Cautiously, always aware of her surroundings, she flipped the lock on the door and after another glance towards the closed bathroom, opened it far enough to peer out.

A greasy-haired blond youth leered up at her from behind a bag of what looked like take out boxes. One knowing glance told her he was human. With the one visible eye that wasn't obscured by his crookedly cut bangs, he looked her up and down before extending the food towards her.

"One four-piece Italian bread, one penne Bolognese and one parmesan salad" he read off the receipt that was stapled onto the plastic bag he was dangling in front of her nose, "Room 24. Is there a Mr. Jordan who ordered here?"

She had to suppress a frown at the name. Why did he have to use hers to cover? After all, it was possible the Night World had already begun to keep tabs on her and ordering under her official last name would do nothing to preserve their secrecy.

But the sight of hot, uncontaminated food after almost five days of being denied proper nutrition had her licking her lips and she paid for the takeout without causing any fuss.

She located a bunch of bills in the backpack and shoved them into the youth's hand without demanding any change. A moment later she was on the floor, steaming cartons in front of her and absolutely ravenous. She didn't care that it was cheap, grease-laden pasta and nowhere near her normal food, she dug in without a second thought.

By the time Quinn emerged from the shower, she had polished off the Bolognese and was getting started on her salad. Looking up to thank him for the food and catching sight of the more than half-naked vampire had her heart skip a beat while in mid-chew. Luckily, her self-control extended far enough to break out of her hormonal admiration and feign more interest in her meal. She took some more bites of the salad as he headed for the pile of clothes to her right, absolutely not bothered about sporting just a towel.

She suddenly grew aware again of the worlds that separated them. While she had, up to this point, seen guys as only acquaintances, annoyances or useful co-fighters, she figured he had a totally different perception of women. Frozen forever at eighteen and with dashing, dark-handsome-stranger looks that rendered him easily older, he'd probably had his fair share of girls in the last centuries. It would have been abnormal if it hadn't been so.

She on the other hand, had only ever committed to her passion and her obligation of exterminating as many Night World people as possible. Boys had never really been a topic in her life and she usually wasn't ashamed to say there was no real experience there because it wasn't something she would pride herself on.

But now, in Quinn's presence, she felt inexperienced and younger than ever. Her strength and confidence lay in her abilities to stalk and kill, in taking and simultaneously saving lives. The sporting of a fake identity in the club with Daphne had already been quite challenging. She didn't peg herself an actress at all and flirting with guys had been foreign territory. It was by pure luck that she'd managed to grab his attention at that time. It had embarrassed her to be taught something basic like flirting by the overenthusiastic blonde because it highlighted just another one of her weaknesses.

She cleared her throat, putting down the salad for a second, "Thanks for this. I hadn't planned to be starved on this mission"

"I figured," was all he said, "Take your time with it, we're staying here tonight"

She swallowed the mouthful she was gnawing on. "No, I think we should move"

"They'll have expected us to leave Boston tonight. They're not going to comb the entire city when we're probably on the road. I'd rather risk a couple of hours of rest here and head out in the morning"

"And after very subtly using _my_ last name to order food for this room, it is much safer than hitting the road," she didn't feel the need to tone down the sarcasm, "After the ambush this morning, it's too dangerous to stay in Boston and just wait for them to pick up on our trail."

He didn't seem fazed by her objections at all as he fastened the button of some fresh jeans and dug through her discarded options for a shirt. "Nobody knew you by your official name. You came as Shelly and left as the Cat. None of those who survived the fire will be out to come rip your head off. Even if Timmy gave Hunter details about you, he will rather be looking for us in one of the Redfern's secret residences. As for a trail, we went on foot through some of the worst districts in Boston. I doubt there is one in that dirt. They'll expect us to have taken a car"

She wasn't convinced. So she did what she knew best, stood and checked the window for any sign of movement in the road below.

"This is the Night World. I know when I need to worry. During daylight it's fine but in an hour latest they'll be everywhere. We should go," she objected, still gazing down the back street for any telltale signs of movement.

"Relax," he stepped behind her, "If anybody should stumble in on us, I'll handle it"

She twisted around to face him with narrowed eyes screaming her disagreement, and said, "No. There are not going to be any ifs. I don't care if you have a reputation that has others bowing at your feet because that's not going to happen much longer when word gets out. We're being hunted and I'm not going to take chances!"

Quinn took her by the waist then and pushed her up against the window ledge, "Listen to me. If you don't calm down I'm going to knock you out," he warned her in a tone that did not need further provocation.

"I'd make you regret it," she retorted just as dangerously.

He backtracked slightly, compensating for his reaction by using a softer tone, "Rashel, if I had the slightest worry that this place wasn't safe for the night, I wouldn't have taken you here. Nobody followed us and nobody is going to be checking that takeout place for a name they don't even know belongs to you. Trust me. A night of sleep is not a risk."

She breathed out steadily, just like her instructors had always taught her. Breathe out your emotion until you can think clearly. No insecurity, no anger, no fear.

Eventually she let her stiffened muscles grow slack in his grip. Quinn saw her submission because his hands loosened when she did although they didn't drop from her hips.

_This doesn't mean I'm agreeing with your mentality, this means I'm still exhausted and stupidly trusting your speculation._

He nodded, not triumphant but grateful that she had come around. He didn't want to have to fight on his first night with the person that he was destined for. He could see that she had been pushing herself and the hour of sleep this afternoon had been nowhere near enough. Although almost superior in her stamina and reflexes, she was still human.

Even after a decent meal, he also felt drained and knew he needed to catch up on some sleep and let any remaining wounds heal. The past twelve hours had been, by no means, an easy journey.

_Finish your food. I know you need it. I'll make sure we're all locked up._

Her lips tugged upwards in a half-smile and she broke out of his hold to retrieve the remaining cartons off the floor. Quinn completed her routine of double-locking every possible entrance to the room, including the miniature bathroom window before settling on the bed. He ran a hand over his eyes, finding the light in the room increasingly bright with every passing minute. Sleep sounded perfect right about now.

The rustling of plastic and sound of objects hitting a container told him that his soulmate was dumping the trash in the bathroom. He kept his eyes shut but sighed with satisfaction as the light dimmed behind his eyelids. Rashel had switched off the lights and according to the rustle of denim, was also removing clothes.

He forced himself not to think about that aspect as she finally came into bed. The cheap mattress sagged under her weight and he instinctively felt the presence of wood in her hand. He smirked in the dimness. Truly a hunter through and through. Never caught unprepared.

After getting comfortable in the thin sheets with her head nestled against the headboard and a pillow in her back, Rashel again probed the soulmate link. _I'm keeping watch first. I'll wake you later._

_Suit yourself, _he replied, _but I'm telling you, nothing will happen. This place is as far as incognito will go._

_Your confidence has no bounds. _She was silent for a couple of minutes. Then…_you know those shorts you found are unbelievably tight?_

He just grinned into his pillow and let himself drift off.


	2. Past

_Day 2, 06:05, Boston_

He'd been right. There had been no disturbances the whole night apart from a drunken couple that had walked past their door around midnight and occupied a room further down. She had alternated between listening for any suspicious noises and observing the vampire in the bed.

Under the moonlight that allowed her to make out the room quite clearly, she had sat by the window with her knees drawn up underneath her and watched. Sometimes the silent road below them, sometimes the sleeping man. She had found that there had never been time to appreciate the sight. Every time they had met, it was under strained circumstances and she had never let herself be dazzled by his physique because that was simply how she had trained herself to think. All Night World people had the potential to be unnaturally beautiful and she had learned to overlook it.

There was certain hardness about his features that she could guess originated from the moment he had been forced to turn. He was like a statue, in which the artist had decided to highlight the planes of his face and sculpted the body with focus on the deepest, darkest contours. She thought what made him so attractive was the contrast. The shade of the slightly messy hair and the black on black eyes against the light skin marked him as beautiful in most people's eyes.

She was no exception even if she had masterfully hid it since their first meeting. Not that it was his body that she had fallen for. It was his entire persona, his honourable character and when it came down to it, the way he had gone against his own kind for her sake. Never in a million years had she expected such of a vampire like him, especially on an occasion that could have defined a turning point in the Night World community for the made vampires.

Worse still, he had betrayed his adoptive family, whose head just happened to be one of the most influential vampires in existence. She didn't think he could rise any higher in her esteem at this point. She knew he had many dark years to redeem himself for but that wasn't something she would hold against him. She had basically come from the same world. One where she willingly initiated bloodshed, even if she thought it was for a good cause.

She had only been able to snap out of her train of jumbled thoughts when she picked up a shadow below, only to see a cat scrabbling through a dumpster in the adjacent alleyway. She kept her eyes on it until it slunk away with its findings. Absentmindedly fingering her blade, her wonderings had gone towards her foster family.

She'd vanished for quite some time and knew they'd probably initiated the police in a search by now. She didn't care much for them in general but knew she'd have to sort out the issue before she vanished for good. She hoped she could convince Quinn that a visit to her current home wasn't any riskier than staying in a motel overnight. There were a few things she needed to pick up, including a small but special weapons arsenal. She'd done him a favour by staying here tonight so it was only fair he'd repay it. Trust worked both ways.

When she found her span of attention drooping at around one in the morning, she nudged him awake and despite his unappreciative growl at having his sleep cut short, he took her spot. She had no problems catching up on necessary rest for the remainder of the night, feeling strangely safe under his watching eyes.

Now, just after six in the morning, she felt a careful caress in her mind, probing her to wake up. She squinted against the sunlight filtering through the room, focusing on the man casually lounging on the only chair in the room.

He was looking at her and she could only respond by staring at how the morning sun painted rainbows in his dark hair and tinted his bare chest in gold light. She blamed her sleepy head for her failure to actually coherently offer a good morning.

She unwound herself from the sheets and stretched, not yet bothered by the fact that she had slept only in underwear and her shirt. Only when she turned to face him again did she grow conscious of the look he suddenly wore on his face. It was pure rapture.

It only took him one moment to rise and cross to the bed where she sat. Rashel tried to read his black eyes but as usual their intensity let her forget her intentions when they were fixed on her face like that.

His fingers curled around the side of her face, his thumb brushing against her ear and she lost herself in the link that enveloped them both. This was different than simple communication through the bond – this was perfection. They were two beings melding into one but still their own. They were complements that were destined to connect.

The sensation of his lips against hers had explosions filling her from head to toe. It was such an electric feeling there was no certain way to describe it. Maybe like taking a first breath as a newborn coupled with the exhilaration of freefall. Rashel couldn't tell if she still had the capacity to control her limbs but somehow her hands had found Quinn's shoulders and were pulling him closer, closer, until their bodies collided and hit the mattress.

For once, she did not feel the need to squabble for dominance in the situation. She let it overwhelm her until she was dizzy. Quinn was here with her, around her, inside her mind and she didn't want it to end. This was the night of the equinox all over again but no outside pressures, no confusion.

It took the both of them a while to be able to pull away and neither was breathing lightly. As he lifted himself off her and rested against the headboard she sat up too. He watched her as she let her fingers ghost across his collarbone and up to his neck, leaning in to steal one more kiss. He truly wasn't the type that could be called soft and sweet but his kisses were addictive. If this was how each morning was going to start, she was more than glad to let him stay around.

_Good morning, _she whispered and enjoyed his answering murmur through the chord that ran between them.

_You're incredible, _he said simply and she couldn't help her mouth curving into a smile.

_Tell me again after spending a week with me, _she shrugged and tore herself away to get dressed. He followed her example and they busied themselves with tidying and packing by silent mutual agreement. Not ten minutes later, they left the shabby room looking as untouched as before and headed away from the motel.

Quinn steered straight towards a vehicle he'd parked inconspicuously at the end of the lot behind some trailers. She coughed her surprise away at the sight of the polished convertible he must have acquired the previous day.

_Yours?_

_Now it is. _He smirked in her direction, slipping behind the driver's wheel and fishing around the seat until he found a pair of sunglasses. _Let's call it a present._

_You stole or threatened someone for this._

His shrug was noncommittal and he didn't justify himself as they drove out of the fenced area and headed to the main road. She let it pass, knowing it was too convenient than to lecture him about stealing cars. He'd done it the way it worked for him and as long as that didn't result in trouble with the police, she wouldn't complain.

She had him stop at an empty café on the way and bought herself breakfast. Armed with that on top of water bottles and a hot tea, she returned to the car. While digging into an assortment of fruits, she decided to ask before he had the opportunity to turn off onto the highway.

"Can you head uptown first?" She felt his eyes question her even behind the dark sunglasses, "I need to grab some things from the house"

He wasn't buying it. "Talking about taking unnecessary risks," he reminded her.

"I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important. I may need you to help me with something"

"What?" he demanded but took a turn anyway to head in her direction. The streets were gradually filling with morning traffic and disguising them amidst a colourful batch of cars and buses, "We don't have the time to pack ten boxes"

She snorted at the thought, "One bag at the most. No, it's not that. I need you to talk to… the people. I'll be eighteen this year and then I'm not in need of foster families anymore. I just want too avoid questions asked for as long as possible"

"You want me to work on their memories," he paraphrased. She nodded, keeping her attention on her food.

"It's for the best"

He didn't object any more as he followed her directions, past the high school she'd been visiting and into a district filled with little townhouses. They were both checking the area subtly as the car passed through the streets. At this time of day, life was slowly beginning to stir on the roads and neither was going to leave themselves open to surprise attacks after what had happened the day before.

As soon as she stood on the cracked doorstep of the house, her awareness told her something was off. She couldn't pinpoint what it was but her years of hunting and tracking were kicking in and telling her that there was going to be trouble. She reached down into a flowerpot for the spare key as Quinn came up next to her. Before she could even insert the key his hand shot out to grip her upper arm.

"Somebody was here"

"I know," she mumbled back, keeping her voice as low as possible. They shared a look.

"I'll go first," he insisted as she slowly unlocked the main entrance. The resounding click of the key seemed too loud in the silence that filled the house. She noticed that this was the first time she was going to see Quinn in action. In last morning's fight, she'd been too busy watching her own back to look at how he worked but now she could actually observe his movements as he slunk through the hallway.

He approached situations differently than her and displayed less inhibitions. He didn't stick to the shadows but headed right for the target. Of course he could afford to since he wasn't as breakable as a human.

She stuck on his tail, keeping to the walls and peering into the deserted rooms with her knife held loosely but at the ready. In less than a minute, they had staked out the entire bottom floor. There were no telltale signs of any attack whatsoever. Not even breaking and entering evidence – no strewn pieces of glass or tracks on the carpeted floor.

Rashel advanced up the stairs first, knowing where the squeaky parts were that could easily give them away. If there still was an enemy in the place.

The entire time, she kept an open awareness to everything, absorbing the familiar feel of her home while her senses picked up on any noise or movement around the house. Everything was too silent. Usually both her foster parents awoke at six and left the house at seven on the dot. It had been barely quarter to seven when they arrived. It bothered her that there was not a single sign of life around. The house had a graver atmosphere than a tomb.

She felt Quinn's presence behind her as she reached the top floor and the sudden tension that filled him. She let her eyes rove around the narrow hallway with all its closed doors and immediately felt the abnormality. Usually all the doors would stand open and at this time of day, if she was home, she would wake to the sound of her foster mother opening all the windows upstairs to let in fresh air. The hall was dark and deserted.

"Rashel, here"

She followed Quinn's call to the master bedroom and caught the serious look he threw her before opening the door. The sight that met her had her gagging. It took a second before she found her usual composure. She had not exactly considered this option as probable when she walked in downstairs.

It was more than a bloodbath. It was a massacre.

The human couple still lay in their bed but their bodies had been disfigured to the point where only the faces resembled the people she'd been living with. The covers were soaked in blood, as was the headboard and areas on the ground as though the bodies had been bashed against the hardwood floor.

She could tell it had been werewolves at work. Unbelievably skilled werewolves who hadn't left a trace downstairs but managed to almost artistically rip apart two people to the point where organs twisted around limbs and scraps of flesh speckled the pillows. Even the bloodstained faces, almost untouched apart from the crushed necks, spoke of the horror they had witnessed in their last moments. Their hearts were gone from their slashed chests. Probably devoured like some delicacy by werewolf teeth.

She didn't dare step into the room any further. Despite the gruesome scene she was faced with, she didn't forget that sooner or later, the police would discover this and if any indication of her presence would be found, she could be implicated. Human juristic matters were not something she wanted to be tied up in.

The kill was relatively fresh. Quinn had probably picked it up from the stairs. The blood had not dried on the sheets and the bodies' skin hadn't attained that corpse-typical colour yet. Rashel could smell the kill heavy in the air and forced herself to turn away and lean against the wall outside. She couldn't be preoccupied with this shock right now. She ought to have expected it anyway.

The Night World had its sources and her anonymity had washed away overnight. She was being searched out just as she had been with five. This time it wasn't her relative that paid but two people who had given her a home for ten months. If they'd gone as far as this…what did it mean? Was it a warning message? Was it an angry reaction because they hadn't found her here? Were still hanging around?

So many variables had opened up.

All right, action first, contemplation later, she decided. She needed complete _zanshin_ to keep herself prepared for anything. There was still danger around and she wouldn't let herself be caught vulnerable as she had on the enclave. She would deal with the death later.

Quinn's eyes were on her but she didn't look up to meet them. She needed to focus and get the job done. She had come to leave this place behind for good anyway. Determined but ever cautious, she opened the door to her own room. It was just as empty as the rest of the place. It looked untouched but you couldn't be too careful. She was actually certain they must have searched through her things. She rapidly checked the single window, surveyed the area outside for threats and set to gathering all she needed.

Her soulmate had left her alone to check the rest of the rooms. She was glad he'd given her a minute to digest what she had seen. It had really been one of the vilest sights she'd been faced with this year. She prided herself on her strong stomach but it just surprised her that the killers hadn't simply ripped their throats out and left it at that. She was sure that the mangled nature of it was meant to be a threat. When they found her, and Quinn, the treatment waiting for them wouldn't be pleasant.

She shoved the single dresser in the room aside, dropped down to her knees and began tearing up the floorboards. A simple, old trick for a hiding place but it had been effective until now. The dust covering the spot told her nobody had touched it for at least a month. She retrieved a sack full to the brim with all kinds of weaponry she'd gathered during her career but refrained from using. Her sword and knife were the ones she was most comfortable with.

She threw the entire thing into a duffel bag. After slight hesitation, she added an assortment of clothing from her sparse closet and basic toiletries from the closet-sized bathroom that bordered on her room. It didn't hurt to take some while she was here.

Her bamboo backscratcher, the standard tool of her trade, lay under her bed. Her fingers itched to take it with her as well but she had decided to leave behind that side of her. If she wasn't going out and staking vampires for the purpose of personal revenge anymore, she would not continue leaving her mark. Rashel abandoned the thought.

Then she turned to her bedside table. She immediately saw that they had gone through it, although nothing was terribly out of place. Her real ID, expertly concealed in the removable back of an old hardcover novel, was missing. So now the entire Night World would have her details and her face. She was officially a dead man.

She retrieved her wallet and passport from the drawer as well as the picture she kept of herself and her mother. Underneath that was a framed image, much older than the childhood photograph she had managed to find. It showed her mother with a man who stood tall, muscular and with the same eyes her reflection looked at her with. She didn't know why she had kept this one for so long. She couldn't remember her father and her mother had never spoken of him. He really didn't mean anything to her.

The ceramic felt heavy in her hands as she stared at the glossy picture for a few heartbeats before also packing it into her bag. She didn't know why but she felt she should keep it with her. It was a remnant of a lost past.

Another look out the window to be sure she wasn't expecting company soon, then she allowed herself the few seconds liberty to change into something more comfortable. Quinn returned just as she tied her hair back and tossed the bag over her shoulder. His expression was solemn but calm. It told her everything she needed to know – that there was no sign of Night World presence in the house.

He didn't say anything as they left the house and she locked it securely, wiping the key clean of fingerprints on her fresh shirt and tossing it into the pot. Only when they reached the car it became apparent they were going to have a problem.

All the tires were slashed.

Quinn cursed under his breath and Rashel stopped dead in her tracks. She dumped her bag on the pavement. She needed all the freedom of movement she could get. Both knew what this meant.

The inevitable moment had come around and this time it would be kill or be killed. Rashel braced herself for the onslaught of the tracking team that had been lying in wait.

They didn't have to hang around long for the ambush to begin.

Shots rang out from above and the two of them broke for cover, Quinn diving in one direction, she in the other. There was no previous agreement needed, their strategy established itself as they moved. Neither could waste time looking back to see what their other half was doing.

Then everything was a mess of flying bullets, animal growls and colliding bodies. From what Rashel could tell, there were two werewolves and a dog shifter on her side of the fray. Smart move. In such a populated district, they could all disguise as large rogue dogs if anybody came close enough to notice the fight.

Rudi had done a good job on her arms two nights ago. The injuries were being targeted all over again by snapping jaws. These beasts apparently had a fetish for tearing limbs off. Weaving, almost dancing, through the two wolves, she drove her knife upwards through the jaw of the first one. She heard the crunch of bone splintering as the silver tip protruded from the top of the nose. The ear-splitting howl that erupted from its throat told her she'd hit a painful mark. It wrenched itself sideways, the knife still lodged through its snout and she lost her grip on it.

The momentary preoccupation with the loss of her weapon gave the other wolf its opportunity. The animal lunged at her and fastened his teeth around her lower arm as she swerved. In response, she knocked her knee into its chest, sending it wheezing but not letting up. She gritted her teeth against the pain of the canines in her flesh and transferred her weight so she could deliver a kick to its ribs.

It yelped louder this time and the opening of its jaws gave Rashel enough time to wrench her arm away and spin to slam the heel of her foot into its furry chest again. It landed on its front paws and remained there, whimpering at the pain of contracting such a blow to the lungs. She knew she had to end it quickly before the skewered wolf recovered enough to lunge again.

She jumped upwards and braced herself for the impact. The snapping of bone under her boot told her enough. The whimpers grew into outright yowls and the wolf collapsed onto its side. She had broken its right front leg. She knew it was a dirty move that she wouldn't have used in a regular battle but she was past upholding her honour in front of a bunch of aggressive dogs.

Paws landed on the small of her back and she lost her balance, falling right onto the handicapped wolf with her entire weight. She couldn't twist to see what sat on her but figured it was the last of the trio. Teeth snapped into her hair and she felt the trapped wolf beneath her lash out at her arm again.

She uttered an angry yell and dug her elbows into the wolf's belly. It gave her enough leverage to buck upwards and throw off the smaller dog. It didn't get far though because the animal determinedly kept his teeth in her hair and her head dragged along with it. She punched upwards blindly and caught it on what felt like the eye. The pressure on her scalp let up and she propelled her entire body forward, off the wolf and back on her feet.

She had just righted herself when she found herself encircled by the three animals. The first victim had managed to remove the dagger from its head and through the extensive bleeding; it still succeeded to growl menacingly. The second one was on its haunches, not putting weight on the front leg but snarling nonetheless. The dog was crouched on the ground, batting its paw at the eye socket she'd hit. She quickly turned full circle, searching for the weakest link in the chain. Then she set her focus on hitting the right target.

Her knife was somewhere on the pavement but she couldn't waste time searching. Instead she faked an attack on the large shepherd dog but darted aside at the last moment to deliver a sharp-heeled kick to the face of the advancing wolf on her left. This time, the attack smashed a whole lot more than just one bone. Blood erupted and the beast dropped to the ground, thrashing in agony. It didn't attempt to get up.

The other two responded with a combined attack and she had to deal with jaws sinking into her leg while she grappled for a proper grip on the second wolf's head. It was more complicated, she was used to vampire anatomy instead of animals. The shepherd ripped at her leg, which brought her down flat on her back but the motion gave her the power to snap the wolf's neck sideways. It also fell limp at her feet. She prayed she'd finished it off.

Two down, one to go. The bristling dog was on her again, driving the air out of her lungs with a heavy paw on her ribs and the other at the base of her throat. She choked but tried to roll over anyway. It didn't allow her. The thing was simply too heavy. A real monster of a shifter. Her aching leg was trapped underneath another paw and she had a sense of déjà vu as she settled for blocking his snapping attacks on her throat. This rabid thing could have passed as an incarnation of Rudi.

She had to pull herself together. There was no way that Quinn would have the space to come to her aid this time around. She could feel his mind on the edge of her consciousness, entirely focused on overwhelming the enemy he was facing. He was evenly matched with three opponents as well. There was no time.

There was only one more way to go. She let her arms drop just as the dog was pulling back for another bite and twisted her upper body aside as it came down again. The short claws were digging into her chest and through her shirt now but it didn't matter. Her arms came around the animals' torso and she kept her grip, face beside the beasts'. When it came down to it, she had the advantage of a longer body.

The dog was thrown off balance and staggered backwards. There was her opening. With one hand, she pulled the dogs' back leg, which brought it crashing down onto its side and the other shoved from the other side. Dog breath hit her face as they both rolled into a tangled heap and she felt teeth ram into her shoulder. She gritted her teeth against the hot pain.

Her hand braced itself against the pavement and came in contact with cold wood. Her knife. She could have yelled with joy but that would just alert the fighters on the other side of the street. A flick of her fingers against the knob and the silver weapon sat in her hand. A quick downwards strike and the silver stuck in the animal's side.

As a shifter, it wouldn't be poisonously affected as werewolves were but the dog was finally weakening. Blood spilled over her hands from the wound in its stomach. The most exposed part of this body. She took a deep breath, put her entire body into the act and slashed the side open. The animal screamed as blood pooled around it and Rashel quickly sat back to avoid the red waves pouring from the injury. She kept her hold for another couple of seconds to make sure the thing was dying.

She was breathing harshly and multiple areas on her body were burning. Her shoulder kept on bleeding and her pants were also darkening with blood. She slumped against the tire of Quinn's car to get her breath back and regain her strength. She had been battling for barely five minutes and was still up for more if he needed assistance.

She peered around the side of the car but realized she couldn't see much from this angle. His fight had moved into an alley. She could hear the chaos but there wasn't any movement she could make out from where she sat. She took another large breath, clutched her knife a fraction tighter and with another look at the heaps of fur in front of her, made her way across the street.

She flattened herself against the brick wall and stuck her head around just far enough to catch sight of what was happening. It actually looked as though Quinn was playing with them rather than taking the danger seriously. He was taking the situation with far more ease and grace than she was. Apparently she had been made to deal with the four-legged group while he had been graced with the vampire offenders.

One of the two leeches that were still standing held a gun. That explained the earlier shots and it didn't take a genius to figure out that they were attempting to trap him long enough to land a bullet in his chest. She had no doubt the bullets were wooden.

She hovered for a moment, unsure of whether or not to jump in yet because Quinn was obviously more than capable of holding his own. She caught sight of a third body and raised an eyebrow at the sight. It was mummified all right but the head had been torn clean off the shoulders. The withered skin lay in chunks around the shrunken skull. He had been beheaded with bare hands.

She brought her attention back to the fight just as Quinn got his hold on the armed vampire and slammed him into the tarmac. The man had no choice but to loosen his hold on the gun to clutch Quinn's wrist and try loosening the chokehold that was pinning him. The other one moved in from the back and just as Rashel gathered herself to create a diversion, Quinn tore the head off his victim.

Well, that came out of nowhere. Maybe it was the sheer brutality of the motion that had her pausing in her interruption. Or the fact that Quinn's mind had gone entirely blank to her as he did it. She could pick up on nothing but a dark void from him.

The vampire's scream was cut short as his vocal chords were ripped straight from his body. The snap of the backbone was more distinct than the hiss of fury from the remaining one. As the attacker sprung, Quinn threw himself aside, landing on all fours flat on the ground. With a speed she knew she could never match even if she trained herself to the bone, he snatched the loaded gun from the ground and in the same second fired a single, precise shot that went straight through the man's thigh.

The man cringed as he landed and she could see the pain flare in his eyes. He was off-balance now, trying to favour his healthy leg. Quinn used the opening mercilessly, firing another two shots into the man's shoulder and the kneecap. The leech collapsed, releasing a growl of pain. The wood must be burning like hell, Rashel thought as she watched.

Quinn was prowling over to the body, flipping him onto his back. The bloodsucker swiped at him but fell back grimacing as Quinn's foot struck his shoulder. Dark red circles began staining the man's clothes. Her soulmate crouched down low and remained motionless for a minute. From where she stood she couldn't see any movement but she suspected he was telepathically interrogating the guy about the orders he'd received.

She stared; fascinated even though nothing visible was going on. Telepathy. Mindreading. The skill to determine other people's actions. It was such a useful tool to have. What a shame that humans weren't blessed with those abilities. It would have saved her days that had been wasted with the complicated process of stalking out her prey.

Eventually Quinn stood and stepped back from the vampire who remained motionless on the ground. Rashel waited for him to leap up again but he was obviously still under mind control. She was thoroughly impressed that Quinn's mental control extended to other vampires.

The gun was raised one more time and the shot burst through the man's temple. His entire body jerked once with the impact and the bullet drilled right through the head. Then everything was still.

Quinn stood and surveyed his handiwork. Rashel moved to stand beside him. Now that it was over, her body began quivering from remaining adrenalin and her bites began throbbing. She pressed a hand to her shoulder to stem the blood flow. Quinn seemed to feel the same, breathing more laboured than before as he suppressed his awoken killing instinct.

They both stood entirely still, looking around the place, almost expecting another wave of attack to come. A minute passed and there was none, just the sun rising higher in the sky and spilling light into the mouth of the street. There wasn't a person nearby. With the entire racket they'd been making she had expected at least the immediate neighbours to show up. Unless they had also been murdered in their beds.

Rashel finally spoke up. "We should tidy this up and get moving"

"You should take care of those first"

His eyes were completely dark as he turned them on her. Her deep scratches, still leaking blood were filling his still over-alert senses and she knew she ought to put some distance between them. She would have, had she not noticed the blood staining his own skin.

"They shot you" She tried to keep her alarm at bay but wooden bullets in a vampire body, no matter how old he was, were no joke.

"They'll be gone by tomorrow"

"If you can get them out," she replied and ignored his annoyed sigh. She knew he could take care of herself but he definitely liked to underestimate wounds.

He didn't back away from her touch though as she pulled his shirt up to inspect the damage. There was a dark hole in his lower abdomen and as she pulled the fabric higher, an evident flash of something wooden under his ribs. It hadn't gone in deep, that one would be easier to remove. He let her examine them before shrugging away from her fingers to lift the corpses and drag them away from the corner of the house.

She also put her energy into finishing this off as swiftly as possible so they could leave. She contemplated for a moment where to put the dead. Burning would attract too much attention. They had no vehicle left to take them in. They couldn't really bury them in someone's backyard either. So that meant underground in the canals was the only plausible option.

"Those guys weren't taking chances. Whoever sent them made sure it was an unfair fight. Six on two shouldn't have lost," Rashel stated as she located the nearest entrance to the sewage canals and worked on raising the heavy cover. Quinn meanwhile retrieved the shifters from the road and discreetly dropped them down the tunnel along with the remains of the vampires. The dull, wet thump from the bottom marked the end of this morning's fiasco, "Who do you think is in charge of this?"

"There wasn't much he knew, I couldn't get a face or name. Really, anybody could be in charge. I'm betting on Hunter. It wouldn't surprise me that he made it. Lily, even. Any of the guests if they contacted the right people"

"Or Timmy," she added quietly as she finished up and cleaned her hands off.

"Maybe," he agreed, "If he mentions Hunter's name, it'll get him far enough"

"Do you think it was stupid of me to take him?" she asked, looking him square in the eye as she straightened.

"Yes," he replied and she appreciated the honesty, despite how it stung to be faced with her own mistake, "But I know why you had to"

She sighed, looking towards the sky. The sun was getting steadily warmer now and she had enough state of mind to know that it was time to get out of here. Just as they should have half an hour ago. He followed her gaze and squinted against the brightness of the sun. Not exactly a vampire's best friend.

"Let's move," he suggested and she was only too glad to comply.

They must have looked like the heroic protagonists from some movie; dirty, torn and bloody, each with a bag on their shoulder and the serious gazes of warriors having proven their worth for the day. Trudging through the rapidly warming streets on foot afterwards wasn't the reward either of them would have asked for.

"I know a place to patch up at," Rashel informed him as they walked side by side. It was a painful process because her leg was beginning to feel like it had been set on fire and her shoulder was still wet with fresh blood. They would definitely not have been able to rent another motel room in this state.

Quinn's stony expression behind the sunglasses didn't change but his shoulders dropped slightly as though he was relieved she had mentioned it. The sun was surely depleting his energy and he was in pain too, her experienced eye saw it in the way he held his upper body as straight as possible and looked marginally stiff in his movement. Too proud and determined to let it bother him though. She almost split into a smug smile at how alike they were in preserving their honour, even in front of each other.

There truly could be no other person in the world who could ever understand her better.


	3. New York

_Day 2, 08:30, Boston_

The place was cramped, horribly lit and looked every bit like an ordinary cellar. The dim interior was very much to Quinn's liking. At least more relaxed than the glare of undiluted sunlight on him. It was underneath a house that looked like it had been abandoned and forgotten years ago. He was certain that was exactly the vibe it was meant to have.

Rashel had produced a key out of somewhere and led him down the staircase into the damp underground, where they were now sitting opposite another on the ground and sharing one of the in-stock first aid kits. He seized up the array of weaponry, which covered the cheap shelves against the walls. Some of it definitely reminded of lethal torture items used in the Middle Ages.

"This house was bought by a vampire hunter who retired sometime ago. When he did, he knew better than to hang around his hunting grounds. All I know is that he went to the sunny parts of the coast. I think he's in Miami or someplace in California. He never sold this place and some of us still use it as a hideout"

He listened to Rashel's explanation without a comment. There was no need to define the "us". This was obviously a thing between the hunters and frankly, he found it an appropriate place to use. Thick walls, good protection, inconspicuous run-down appearance and settled in the middle of a human-populated district.

He fished out some tweezers as she spoke and discarded his shirt. The cold of the room didn't touch him but the sting of the metal object did as he worked on removing the bullets. This wasn't something he dealt with on a regular basis – using guns wasn't his thing and generally they were reserved for mob fights amidst the Night World community. Stake wounds and knife cuts were more frequent in his life. He'd been shot before but removing bullets was generally not his nuisance to deal with.

After digging around in the bullet hole for a moment, he fixed the tweezers around the wooden chunk and with an attempt at blind precision, peeled it out of his flesh. He kept his face concentrated and impassive but couldn't restrain the vicious hiss as the bullet hit the ground. Rashel looked up from where she was disinfecting and bandaging her leg. As he dropped the tweezers and reached for gauze, she reached out and stopped him.

"Not made to be a doctor," she observed as she swept aside the box of medical utensils and scooted closer for better access. He let her, even though he generally despised being treated by others. Partially because he didn't trust anybody but mostly, he hated the dependence. With Rashel it was different. She was exact, without overly gentle hands, did everything like it was business and as normal as staking the undead every night. He simply found it interesting to watch her work as a natural in her environment. She made it seem as though they had always been allies.

"I think you managed to carve more than just the bullet out here," she murmured as she concentrating on stemming the fresh blood and bandaging the aggravated area tightly.

"It'll heal," was his philosophy on that point. She just rolled her eyes.

She finished his minor wound and focused on the one close to his hipbone. With an unyielding hand, she pushed him to lie down and took the tweezers. With her eyes narrowed in concentration, she rubbed away the excess blood and then carefully inserted the tool into his flesh. This time the pain radiating through him was far more intense and he felt his canines lengthening in response to the stimulus.

Unconsciously, a low growl passed through his teeth as he let his breath out. The tweezers hooked onto the bullet and although he prided himself on a high pain tolerance, it would be a lie to say the extraction didn't have his entire body straining in protest. Then Rashel was pulling away, triumphantly holding a tiny wooden object in her palm.

He knew his eyes must have been reflecting the white light from the overhead bulb as he set his eyes on her and his teeth were visible, just like an animal. Still, her demeanour didn't change. She didn't show any signs of perturbation as she bandaged the bloody wound and returned to nursing her own injuries like nothing had happened.

He sat up, feeling each muscle shift as he settled into a relaxed stance, where his elbows rested on drawn-up knees. His abdomen still sent out sharp stings of pain but they were slowly dulling. In a few hours, the bullet holes would have closed up. He'd been wise to feed a great deal yesterday.

He watched the human across from him strap up her leg, then treat her arms and move to her shoulder. Professionally as ever, she also removed her top to have better access to the torn skin. He didn't know why he moved then but suddenly he was crouched behind her and reaching for the alcohol soaked cloth to clean the injury. She wordlessly handed him the gauze pads and let him do the job without second thought.

They remained silent for a while until Rashel broke it with an apology. "I'm sorry about this morning. I'm going insane enough to think there are no consequences waiting for me out there. I walked us right into a trap"

She was being ridiculous. He never apologised himself and having to listen to her blaming herself for this ambush was almost worse. He was not going to start consoling anyone today for a problem that they carried no blame for.

"It's better this way," he cut her off, "Now that we took them out, there probably won't be more trouble until we've put a hundred miles between us and Boston"

"I hope they still had my ID on them when you killed them," she said as an afterthought and his hands stilled on her back.

"What?" he questioned softly, almost dangerously. He wasn't one to take it lightly when important information was held from him.

She didn't flinch or look apologetic now as she half-turned to meet his eyes, "They stole my ID. I had it hidden but obviously not well enough. I wasn't counting on my address being known. Until last week, I was invisible. Nobody could have told you who the Cat was"

"From what I got, it was only the six of them," he said after a pause, "So it should be floating around in a sewage canal right now"

"Better there than in Hunter's hands," she agreed, sucking in a breath between her teeth as the wound was disinfected. Quinn knew he was by no means as careful as her but he made sure the bite was properly treated before he let her redress herself in the shirt that was again half in tatters.

They remained sitting beside each other; close enough to touch but still avoiding it. He could tell she was thinking about something that wouldn't leave her alone. He hoped it wasn't worse than the fact that her identity had almost become exposed to the wrong people living in his world.

Eventually Quinn, almost casually, raised his fingers to her exposed wrist. The skin contact had the ever-present link break any distance they had established in their minds since the morning.

_You're angry. Something I did? _

Her denial was bathed in a hint of shame. _I'm not angry. I'm… fighting with my better judgement._

_Explain. _It wasn't a demand. Not really. Not when they were speaking mind to mind and all he wanted was to understand.

_I watched you fight and it just made me see the differences between us, I guess. I saw you knock the guy's head off and it occurred to me that you have done things… experienced things that I haven't. _She fell quiet, looking for an explanation that didn't sound horribly far-fetched. The cynicism was back when she added,_ I guess I'm just jealous of your skills. _

He could see her speaking these words with a smile that she didn't mean. They even made sense, in a strange way. He could see her point. Beyond that, he could see the way she was hiding her true feelings about something that went deeper than his fighting abilities that he had had over four hundred years to acquire.

_The Cat? Jealous of one made vampire? I don't think so._

_You think I'm making this up. Here's news for you, Quinn: You're in my head. It's hard to lie._

_Fine. _He began to play along with her joke. _What differences? Maybe I can clear your mind about them because you live up to most of what I can do._

_What about the bloodlust?_

She was dead serious again and the question was more of a challenge than an inquiry. He didn't even know how to respond to that. What was she talking about? Thirst for blood was an integrated part in the 'becoming a vampire' package, in case she hadn't noticed throughout her career.

_Don't tell me that is starting to bother you _now _of all times._

She wasn't laughing. Suddenly her mind felt cold around him. Depleted somehow.

_I felt it Quinn. The moment you snapped that bloodsucker's head off. Your entire…I don't know what it is…everything that is you just went black. It felt worse than any of those guests at the enclave. Worse than me when I used to go hunting. If I'd been closer at that point, you could have turned on me too. You were enjoying it that much. That's the difference okay? For you, killing is something I don't think you can live without. You can try to block the urge but one day you will snap. _

He didn't try to talk his way out of her accusations. He was intrigued that she had noticed that very aspect of his battle just through their link. At that point he hadn't even been thinking about blocking his mind – he did it automatically around other vampires. But she had gotten through without even trying. She had been under his skin.

The issue here was that it was true. He was a murderer and in such a situation any vampire's instincts were alive and thirsting. He had never been restricted or forced to repress this part of himself. He'd embraced hunger for blood because it gave him the right state of mind to feel invincible. It had made him ruthless and had gained him the reputation he had today. Centuries of unbridled cruelty made it impossible to simply cut those impulses off. He knew he wanted to try, for her sake, but he could already foresee the lapses happening.

_Yes, I enjoy it. Maybe I lose control sometimes. Maybe that's how I work. Maybe I have the right to. I can only change so much of myself at a time. I thought fighting against my race was already a damn big step. I'm a vampire, Rashel, and from the beginning I've made it clear that I don't change overnight. But I haven't caused a genocide, like a lot of humans, I haven't murdered anyone that I preyed on when it wasn't necessary and I don't torture people on a daily basis. _

He had to stop before he said anything he really shouldn't. Infuriating her would not solve anything. A thought wormed its way into his head then. _Are you scared of me?_

_No. Never was. _She sounded subdued now. Almost like she regretted bringing this up at all. _I think I'm just not dealing with everything very well. I'm blowing up things that don't pass as problems._

He took a moment to consider whether to continue this topic or drop it when she obviously wanted to. Then he struck a lighter tone. _So you're jealous of my technique?_

He felt her mood lift. The atmosphere around them brightened again. She was scoffing at his remark and was quick to jibe back. _As if. Tearing off the head? Not exactly the best tactic. A broken neck is so much more convenient._

_It's less of a guarantee. No head means that they aren't going to crawl back again._

_Last time I checked, my body count included a lot of snapped necks. Those all looked pretty stone dead after their faces were turned backwards. _

_Your body count? I've got hundreds of years on you, kitten._

_What did you call me?_

Then the conversation ripped off as she knocked into him with her good shoulder. Quinn, completely off guard, toppled sideways out of his crossed-legs position and onto the floor. Rashel was on him as soon as his back hit the ground, sitting on his thighs to pin him. She was smirking down into his stunned expression.

"Care to repeat,_ John_?"

He narrowed his eyes at her. "You know you don't get to pick your own nicknames"

"Really?" she feigned being impressed, "Then you'll probably be leech, sucker or batman"

He actually laughed at the suggestion "I can't change into a bat. Not even the Lord of the Night World can, as far as I know"

"Shame. You'd make a much better bat," she grinned before standing up gingerly, placing her bandaged leg on the ground and gradually shifting her weight onto it, "Alright, I'm good to go. We've probably already wasted more than an hour in getting here and bandaging up."

"Tell me this morning was worth it. Did you get everything?" he asked as he followed her example, stretching carefully to loosen the tensed muscles without tearing open the healing injuries. She turned and gave him a smile that brushed aside any doubts. That smile would have him walking into five ambushes any day, he realized. The thought solidified and stuck in his head as she gave him a description of their new weapon inventory. He had grown hopelessly attracted to this girl and would put himself in any sort of danger for her. Even if it involved unleashing his most uncontrolled side on the world.

As she set about quickly cleaning off her knife and throwing the medical pack in her bag, he considered the places they could go now. They'd agreed on leaving Boston for safety reasons but neither of them had concrete leads they could follow to Circle Daybreak. It was an extremely secret organization after all. Rumours flew around about it everywhere but unless you were already part of it, you didn't know specifically what it did, who was a member or its whereabouts. He'd never really paid attention to the talk. He had found the idea insane and presumed those kinds of thinkers were dead within a week anyway.

Peace between Day and Night World? It had seemed impossible but in their present situation, it was also the only way for them to live. They had both already made sacrifices and it was too late to go back.

He racked his brain for somebody he could contact. Somebody who was sure to support their situation or at least have the sense to not sell them out to the Council. Perhaps someone he could blackmail with business from the past. He had many connections to people who meddled in nothing but illegal transactions, although he had turned in a fair share of them already. He'd been Quinn, the icy, cold-hearted snake who would go to any means to see Night World law upheld. He knew all the names he'd been dubbed with and he'd constantly enjoyed the way they made him sound.

However, that didn't guarantee these people knew anything about Circle Daybreak. The most likely ones to have legitimate information were the witches. They seemed to have knowledge about the rest of their folks' work at all times. He'd have to approach a person whom he knew for certain, somebody that the Redferns were close enough with to be on trustworthy territory.

Someone like the Harman family.

He knew Thea and Blaise Harman personally, having been introduced to the cousins by Ash a couple of years back. He could tell even then that the young girls were on the best way to rise into the grand positions within the witches' ranks. They were like yin and yang in their personalities but each had her own drive and, according to Ash, were both talented enough to take over the world on the spot. But Ash was known for boasting about anything that reflected positively on him. Quinn only ever half-listened to him.

He hadn't heard from the lamia since the business with his runaway sisters and that lay months back. Perhaps he ought to give the boy a call, he thought, just to probe how much he already knew about the incident with Hunter. He wondered how many of the Redfern family branches already knew of his treachery.

He was getting off track. He'd been trying to focus on something he'd heard before. Something that had drawn his attention to the memory of the Harman sisters in the first place. There had been talk that the pretty blond one had deserted her family recently. He wasn't exactly familiar with witch rituals but he was quite sure that once you stepped out, you were banished for good. A lone, rogue witch could be exactly what they needed. On top of that, this girl was the type he would peg as an ideal candidate for a peacemaking circle – caring, determined, open-minded and opposed to violence. If they could find her, if they got lucky, she would know a thing or two about its location.

"Let's catch a train to New York," he said on a whim.

Rashel had just cleared away leftover bloodstains on the ground and was busy throwing the dirty cloth onto one of the shelves that lined the walls. She turned to give him her attention as she headed over to grab their bags. "Why New York?"

"I figured out who might get us to Daybreak. But to find her, we'll need to visit someone who knows where she would be"

"And that is?" she asked, curious at the prospect of finally having a plan to work with.

He simply stated, "A witch"

It didn't take much convincing. As long as they left Boston within the day, she would gladly go anywhere. To the moon if that was an option.

"If this goes wrong, you're responsible," she warned as they departed the cellar, leaving it as empty and dusty as they had found it.

He took his pack from her, slinging it over his shoulder and flashed her his trademark smile that had everybody thinking he was just bordering on insanity. "Fully responsible"

It was almost too easy buying tickets for the next train. Both of them had expected somebody to cover this area in wait for them but perhaps that was too far fetched. That meant they would have to have awfully exact information to know that were taking a train instead of hijacking another car. Quinn doubted that the ambush squad was missed yet. They had a bit of a head start and he was going to keep it that way. The faster and more inconspicuously they moved, the better.

The train heading for New York around midday was fuller than they had expected and they kept to themselves, both burying themselves in their own thoughts as the scenery flashed past. Quinn kept catching himself thinking about what would happen once they made it to Daybreak. He had no doubt that it was their only option. He could not conform to the human world, he knew it would never satisfy him to remain amongst humans and give up his contact to the other side. He knew it wasn't what she wanted for him too.

Similarly, she would never let herself be turned. He had accepted that and come to the realization that he did not want to force her to change under any circumstances. She could not join the Night World any more than he could live in hers. The only possible compromise was to continue as they had before but on a peaceful compromise. Circle Daybreak was an opportunity to learn about each other when not fighting but also to show the community that sometimes violence could only be fought with violence. Words were not enough.

He caught her eyes in their reflection and she gave him a small smile before looking back at the novel she'd grabbed from the station. It was a cheap paperback from an author he didn't know but the image of Rashel with her nose buried in a book had something; well, quite normal about it. He found himself liking the thought of moments like these. This was bad. He was becoming _domestic_. He turned his head away and rested his forehead against the window, staring outside.

As the hours ticked by, he found himself slowly growing edgy in his seat. Vampires were masters at remaining motionless for quite some time but he found it increasingly difficult to keep his attention on the outside flashing past. He observed passengers around them, stared at Rashel's boots that were crossed at the ankles, all the while absently running his tongue across his canines. Eventually he stood. She looked up briefly but he only motioned to the toilet at the end of their wagon and she returned to her reading.

He kept his gait slow and casual as his strolled past the other seats, most of them still full. As he walked, he let his eyes wander over each person in turn until he found somebody appropriate. It was pure coincidence. The woman, probably just out of college by the looks of her, had glanced up from her magazine to meet his eyes just in the right moment. He made the decision in that instant. The rest was child's play. An action that was such a ritual he could have done it in his sleep. He mentally reached out and snaked into her head with a telepathic command. He made sure to do it quietly, as to not alert his soulmate.

_As soon as I'm in the washroom, get up and follow me. Wait until I let you in._

He passed her seat without another indication of having noticed her and stood in the miniature toilet, staring at his reflection in the grimy mirror. These places were disgusting but he'd done worse before. He didn't want to wait; his body was lacking proper oxygen, probably as a result of the amount of bleeding from his injuries earlier. He looked at the one on his abdomen in the mirror, frowning at the deep red tinge of the bandage. He needed to feed soon to heal up and he wanted it now.

He heard the excited breathing on the other side of the door and wordlessly opened it for the human. Large cornflower eyes blinked at him and he could tell from her expressive face that she expected something very different from what he was about to do to her. It looked like she'd even bothered to apply extra make-up just now. He guided her inside, locked the door behind her and without bothering to fake anything, tilted her head aside and bit.

The surprise was always there and she was just like any other, struggling for an instant before his telepathy convinced her that the sensation was pleasant. She stood still without a hassle and began relaxing into his grip. He was careful with her, making sure to avoid any bloodstains on either of them. She was sweet on his tongue and he savoured every second. He licked the punctures as the pulled back to clean away any remaining evidence and waited for his victim to recover from her daze.

He still felt her warm body leaning against him, all her weight supported only by his steadfast arms. Previously, he would have enjoyed the sensation. To him it had symbolised submission, weakness and only heightened his dominance over humans. Now it annoyed him. This interaction felt more like a necessity than anything else. The only person occupying his thoughts was Rashel, sitting out there, oblivious to this. He was hiding, not from the other human eyes out there but from hers and he knew it.

He pushed the woman off him, seated her on the toilet lid and shook her out of her stupor. With distinct mental words her told her to forget what had transpired and replaced it with a memory of an attack of dizziness. Then he left her there and returned to his seat.

He took his time, wandering past the people who were each busy with different things. Entertaining a baby, working on a Sudoku, eating a snack, snoozing in their seats…he could see each one in heightened detail; almost hear every single heartbeat that he brushed by. He felt rejuvenated and in complete control of his body. Now he could concentrate on acting completely nonchalant as he settled back into his seat.

Rashel was no longer reading. She was staring out the window when he returned. After a few minutes, she gave him a look. A long, silent look that was neither accusing nor angry but it irked him anyway. It was a look that sent a message he didn't quite understand yet. The corners of her mouth were tight and he could sense an inner conflict, even though her thoughts were closed from him.

She knew. Somehow she had picked up on it.

Quinn ran a hand through his hair, leaning back into his chair. He must have resembled a child having been caught stealing cookies and now stubbornly refusing to accept the consequences. It was only food after all.

"Say it. I know you want to," he said with a sigh, meeting her gaze.

"I'm not mad at you for _that_," she countered, "I'm disappointed when someone tries to hide actions from me when they really don't need to"

"Don't need to?" he repeated, "This is exactly the kind of action you stake others for. You think I want to expose what you despise right to your face?"

"How considerate," she muttered and turned back to the window.

"I'm not expecting you to understand what I do because you can't. You're not bound to blood. You can make any demands you want but this is something irreplaceable."

"That's not what I'm saying. I'm not telling you to starve to death Quinn. But you don't have to take it from the person"

He scoffed in exasperation, "You're saying blood banks? It's nowhere near as sustaining. That's the beauty of it. If I take fresh blood straight from the source I need less than half of what I would have to empty blood banks for. It's a waste for the human and for me."

"What about animal blood?" she pushed.

He was sure his eyes must've darkened to bottomless at that point. Just the thought of that kind of blood made him want to empty his stomach. "It's not the same. Human diets are different from others, which also makes their blood unique. It's what we were designed to live on. When you think about it humans are animals just like…"

She waved him off, "Have you ever _tried_ living on animal blood only?"

"No," he sneered at the mere notion.

"Try"

He held her blazing eyes with his own and the word was already slipping from his tongue when she added a mental persuasion. _Please John. Just try. For a while. _

The word stopped just on the tip of his tongue, struggling to burst from his mouth. He wanted to object, wanted to tell her that it was stupid and he would never give up his largest craving, but just those heartfelt words had him stopping. He really wanted to know how she did this. It was like she had invisible hands that pulled him in her direction every time he tried to walk away from her point of view.

He gritted his teeth, still tasting the residue blood in the back of his throat. He contemplated for a long time but knew it would eat at him if he didn't attempt to try for her sake. He hated that he caved in to her when it came to changing for the better. _When we've reached Daybreak I'll do it. For a while._

She didn't look pleased but he couldn't satisfy her any further than that. He wouldn't live off anything that didn't provide him with sufficient energy for protecting them both in an extreme situation unless they were in a safe house.

He looked her square in the eye. _I swear._

_I know you will. Thank you._

_Then you promise me something too. _He shot her a sneaky look. _Don't attack anyone where we're going. Otherwise we probably won't get the information. It'll be tempting to turn them in, I've thought about it, but these people know everything happening everywhere. They are up to their necks in illegal deals but that makes them great informants. _

"I thought it was only one person"

"Technically we are only going there to see one person. But it's a houseful of them. They share the residence"

She nodded in understanding although a feeling was already spreading through her bones that there would be a lot of problems coming up with this visit. She didn't want to think about that now. Nor about the unlikely pact she'd just made with her soulmate. This is going to be an interesting time, she thought as she picked up her book again, and buried herself amongst the pages for the remainder of the trip. She dearly hoped that Quinn knew what he was doing on this one.

It was dark by the time they had hunted down the place, whose confusing location Quinn seemed to have ingrained in his memory. Rashel was glad it was walking distance from the main station. She had needed to stretch her legs and breathe some fresh air after a day of travel. It felt right to be on shadowy streets again even if she was not on the hunt tonight. Well, not officially.

She stuck by Quinn's side as they wove through the city. She wasn't all that impressed by the big lights, the billboards and the overwhelming colours because it wasn't her type of world. She'd seen it before when she'd lived in Vegas. The Strip had been an ideal, if challenging, hunting ground. But she was a girl that would be found in the wrong parts of town. She thought she would probably fare quite well in Brooklyn.

She gave up memorizing her way at one point because he was leading her through so many side-roads that she lost track of how many rights and lefts she had counted. Eventually, they stood in front of an apartment complex. Not large, pale grey and plain boring from the outside. A building that didn't immediately scream 'Night World central'. She figured wherever these contacts of Quinn lived, they had chosen their housing for that very purpose. She hadn't seen anybody but humans around on the streets. So they were being careful about blending in and remaining unnoticed by bodies like the Council.

The interior was nice. Furnished and painted in a clean white that reminded of an oversized Japanese garden. Or a fancy hospital. The splashing of a small, asymmetric fountain in the centre of the entrance hall already said quite a lot about how wealthy these informants must be. After Quinn convinced the man sitting at the entrance desk that he had never seen them enter with a little telepathic aid, they rode up to the fifth floor in the elevator and he knocked loudly on one of the two doors in the corridor.

Rashel waited behind him with her hand itching to grip her knife. She wasn't comfortable. Everything was too high-tech and too bright for her tastes and escaping from a fifth floor wasn't easy without knowledge of the entire layout. If it came to that.

Eventually the door swung back and a pale young man faced them. Rashel didn't know what to make of him at first. He looked quite human but just like any other Night World citizen, he had that certain aura of supernatural that gave him away. In his case, it was more explicit in his eyes that weren't blue but bordering on violet. That meant he was with ninety-nine percent certainty related to a witch family.

"Quinn," the handsome youth drawled, his voice slurring somewhat, "Man, you should have sent me a memo before dropping in"

"No need," the vampire replied, smoothly slipping past the baffled witch who actually jerked backwards to allow him to pass. Something that Rashel did not miss and Quinn simply overlooked as he mentioned, "We'll be gone as soon as you told me what I need to know"

Rashel followed without introducing herself and began assessing the living room they had entered. It was full of dark furniture and walls were painted in hues of burgundy coupled with white. At least the guy had decent taste in his interior design.

On the coffee table there were piles of various things. Candles, herbs, dried things, small bottles and vials, half-eaten snacks and things that looked like plain rubbish to her eyes. There was no doubt that this was a witch house. She leaned over the assortment and wasn't even shocked to find several small bags of white powder lying amidst the clutter. She would have bet her entire stock of weapons on it being something more potent than flour.

The witch also had company. A girl had emerged from a doorway and was watching the scene discreetly. From what Rashel saw, it seemed that she was a witch as well. It was impossible to miss the way she played with a number of pendants hanging around her skinny neck. Only witches or humans who thought themselves spiritually gifted ever wore that many talismans.

Rashel leaned against a solid black bookshelf near the door, eyeing the scene but not making a move. This was Quinn's show to run and she was just a spectator.

The male witch had settled himself on the backrest of one of the couches and had retrieved a burning cigarette from a random ashtray. They seemed to be standing around everywhere. He was inhaling deeply as Quinn spoke. "I need an update on a certain witch"

The guy puffed out the smoke gradually, nodding in a way that reminded her of an obedient donkey. "Hunting down someone again?" he chuckled breathlessly, "Let's hear 'bout the big deal then"

"No story," Quinn said shortly. He was also sizing up the audience they had with malicious eyes, "You have a new roommate"

The witch nodded slowly, gesturing for the girl to join them. "Yeah, no more Fabien and Morgan. They had shit going on with the wrong people so I kicked them out. Can't get too careful nowadays," he grinned wickedly and laughed as though that comment was overly amusing. Rashel seriously wondered what he'd been taking before they had knocked, "And this little sweetheart is Zora. Hey Zora, meet Quinn"

The girl apparently had no idea who he was. Or she was just plain stupid. Or high. From the looks of her, the possibilities were endless. She came waltzing over, arms full of bangles knocking against another and necklaces jingling as she looped an arm around the guy's waist. Her huge hazel eyes were on Quinn alone as she spoke in a slightly trance-like fashion, "Marcus, you need to start warning me when you have such a guest over. Then I can prepare some really good stuff"

Rashel resisted the urge to laugh at the performance. The girl looked ready to topple over on her own feet and her pupils were enormous. She was seriously beginning to question how accurate this kind of source of information was. They both looked out of it. Quinn was apparently growing tired of the interaction and pointedly ignored the girl. Marcus, if that was his name, was humouring her and taking his time to explain that the vampire was not into taking any of her self-made mixes.

Quinn's voice was soft but with a steel undertone as he interrupted, "We can talk alone in your office, can't we?"

The witch actually managed to look wide-awake as the vampire turned the full intensity of his gaze on him. He quickly passed the remainder of his burning stump to the girl at his side and while drawling, "Sure thing, man, anything you want," and headed towards the back of the apartment.

Quinn shot Rashel a quick look, asking for a little more patience and she gave a nod in response. Then the two of them vanished and the slam of a door was heard somewhere in the house. So now it was just the freaky witch and she. Wonderful.

Zora was busy finishing the last centimetres of whatever she was smoking before dropping the leftovers back in the brimming ashtray. She ran a hand through her long, bushy hair that had obviously been self-dyed in varying tones of orange and twisted a strand around her finger, humming. Rashel couldn't fathom why anybody would want a head of hair looking like an explosion of paint but she wasn't going to ask. She didn't particularly want to say anything to her.

Not so much the witch. She had noticed Rashel's existence in the room and promptly turned her full attention onto her.

"Wow, you are such a gorgeous human. I'm Zora. Actually Soraya but that's something the goody witches would be called so you can't do that. I'll hex you if you do," she sing-songed as she swayed closer, "Are you here with Quinn?"

Rashel just nodded, beginning to seriously question this one's sanity. From the proximity, she could properly guess the girl's age at fifteen at the max. She wondered if this was her usual state or if she was severely intoxicated. Maybe Marcus was to blame for this. The girl was right in front of her now and locking gazes with her. She didn't blink and her enlarged pupils reflected Rashel's face as she murmured, "You know, Quinn has a very, very dark heart. He has been cruel to the world. Maybe you should be more careful with him. Trust me, I can tell."

Rashel couldn't do anything but stare. What kind of remark was that? This was getting more peculiar by the second. She actually felt goose bumps rising on the back of her neck but hid it under indifference, "What are you on about?"

A spaced out expression spread over the witch's face. She gave the impression of a sleepwalker reiterating her dream out loud, "Life cheated him once and he has spent his own filling the world with his hatred"

"Right," Rashel snorted, "You have no idea what you're saying"

"Pay attention, human. Somebody who has done so much is dangerous. Even for someone he thinks he loves," the girl warned, clutching a handful of her pendants for support while reaching out with her other hand to take Rashel's in earnest. Her doe eyes were growing wider and she was looking right through Rashel as though some kind of hallucinations were playing out behind her back.

Rashel was done listening to this. She pushed the flimsy thing out of her path none to gently and headed outside. She didn't look back as she snapped the apartment door shut. She could wait in front of the elevator for Quinn to finish up.

Her pulse had sped up and she told herself that it was from anger. The girl had never even seen him before, how should she have made such weird predictions after interacting with him for half a minute? Sure, she was knew how to work magic but this kind of description must be made up on the spot. The kid was a good actress, nothing more.

The nagging thought that there was a point to what she'd blabbered didn't leave her mind though. Even ten minutes later as Quinn emerged, looking satisfied and flashing her a triumphant smile, she couldn't stop replaying the words to herself. She had done things that could surely rank as equally terrible as Quinn's. They both knew that neither of them where innocent and had accepted that.

She couldn't help it. The thought lingered and as they strode out of the block into the noisy New York night and Rashel couldn't shake the sudden feeling that she knew too little about him. The soulmate connection was one thing but that didn't mean she could help herself to his memories and history whenever she pleased.

Suddenly, the vampire she had fallen for was still a stranger.


	4. Plans

_Day 2, 20:45, New York_

"I'll have turkey ham, olives, salad and tomatoes," Rashel instructed the Subway employee who followed suite and piled her toasted sandwich with her choices. Quinn had already settled at a table because she had insisted that she started making use of her own money for herself.

The longer they lasted without having to dig through either of their accounts, the longer they could avoid attracting attention to themselves. It was highly likely that Hunter kept track of Quinn's accounts after all, since he'd been entitled to the Redfern inheritance and thus the money that had accumulated over the centuries. She hadn't asked him about that yet but she knew that it would come up sometime. Her own savings weren't even an option because she was already, most likely, a missing person. It would be like a red beacon for the authorities.

She added a chocolate chip cookie and water to her order and joined him in a corner of the fast-food outlet, away from the chattering cluster of students and an older couple who occupied the other side of the place. Their booth was tiny and she munched on her dinner in silence before Rashel's curiosity got the better of her.

"Could you actually eat solid food if you wanted to?"

He huffed a laugh but shook his head afterwards, "I don't need to eat. Made vampires can only survive on blood because our bodies are technically dead. Nutrients, oxygen and so on, it all comes in one package. It's the lamia that can digest. They blend in well with the human world because they function the same way"

"Right," she noted, "But did you ever have a favourite?"

"You say it like there was a variety to choose from in the 1600s. I was curious about a lot of things that came in the next centuries though."

"I'm sure frozen pizza was a shocker," she quipped and hid her smirk behind her sandwich. He just shook his head, keeping an eye on the people on the opposite side of the room. She focused on her meal for a bit, until the previous events came and nagged at her again. He hadn't spoken about it yet and now was as good a time as ever.

"Tell me about it. Your meeting," she demanded as she bit into the warm bread and licked away the mayonnaise that spilled onto her lips.

"We're going to Vegas. That's where she'll probably be. Marcus mentioned that she'd been spotted around some hotspots there in the last month. I think it's our best shot at getting to Daybreak," Quinn answered while chewing, "I figured it'll be easiest to take a flight from here. That will cut us down on a lot of extra travelling days"

Rashel dumped her sub on the table. She fixed him with a look that bordered on annoyed. "First off, I don't know who _she_ is. Second, I meant some detail of the conversation, not just a destination. And we can't just fly there, Quinn. You know how risky it is. One look at our passports and the Council will know where we're headed by that evening. Not to mention the kind of things I'm carrying on me. We might as well spray it in capitals on the plane so they can arrange a greeting committee in Vegas"

He listened patiently but only gave her a grin as though to say, you have no clue what my masterful plan really is. "It's covered. Marcus is in the process of getting us new passports right now. They should be done in time for a flight tomorrow afternoon"

"That's insane," she interrupted angrily, "He doesn't even have legitimate photographs. There's no way some faked pictures are going to be accepted"

"He's done it a hundred times before. He'll manage," Quinn objected, "He's made me some before"

"Oh yes?" Rashel took another bite of her food and downed it with a swig of water, "I'm all ears for that story."

He just waved it off with a flick of his hand, "Problems with a gang of werewolves. Long story short, the alpha had a bunch set on my tracks. They tracked me down here while I was getting a job done for Hunter and I needed new passports to get to L.A. It was easier to settle things without those runts on my back. The guy regretted getting on my wrong side though," he finished with a grin, "Marcus has done a number of things for me in the past. Apart from his drug issues, he's intelligent to the point where he could hack the White House if he was asked. Two passports are no issue for him"

"Great," she brusquely wiped the crumbs from the tabletop, "And I'm just going to have to take your word for it. This isn't just running away – we're topping it off with illegal documents. It's not on my agenda to spend the next years in prison"

"It's safe," was all he said as reassurance and leaned back against the seat.

She stared out at the darkness outside that was alive with the flickers of car headlights and tinged in the yellow of the streetlamps. She had no clue where they were. Not in the inner city for sure but not out in the residential areas either. She was entirely reliant on the vampire opposite her for guidance tonight.

"What's so bad about taking a car again?"

He scoffed at the question and leaned forward to rest his elbows on the tabletop, "We'd be on the road for days. I'd rather save myself the time and find the lead before it disappears. Don't worry," he added, "I'll pay"

"Do you always carry your millions in your pocket around the country?" she jibed as she sipped from her bottle. He only smiled but didn't reply. She crumpled up the sandwich wrapper in her fist. "Alright, we'll fly. But I want to know everything. The target and what your witch told you. I'm not going without knowing what I'm dealing with"

He nodded his affirmation and then tilted his head in direction of the exit. She stood and dumped the trash as they left together. The night was relatively cool and soothed her shoulder, which was beginning to ache again from all the strain. Ignoring the light pain along with that in her leg, she took small bites out of her overly sweet cookie as they strolled down the dark sidewalk and Quinn finally explained.

"The witch is Thea Harman. She's an acquaintance I met once. Another Redfern introduced me. I heard rumours about her disappearing from her family and Circle some weeks back but since I don't concern myself with the witches I didn't follow it up. Marcus is very active when it comes to tracking his relatives' moves. It's a bit of an obsession. He's been monitoring their activity since he found out about his distant Harman roots. She's been seen most recently in Vegas, so that's where we're going"

"Why her?" Rashel wasn't catching on fully, "I heard Daybreak was started by witches but how are you sure that she knows about it? Or is even part of it? Or will give you any kind of information if she doesn't know you"

"I'll worry about that once I've found her. I picked her because she's exactly the type. She has the 'determined to change the world for the better' character. And according to Marcus there was talk about her having close connections with a human before she vanished. Apparently he also left the area around the same time she did. It's not concrete evidence but I think it comes pretty close"

"A human soulmate," Rashel whistled through her teeth, "So it's not just happening to the vampires"

"He knew some interesting things about that part too. Again, it's only rumour but a cousin of the Redferns has vanished since a couple of months as well. There was a report of him appearing in Vegas with a girl. He couldn't say if she was human or vampire but I've met the guy at gatherings and he never makes public appearances with either kind of girl. I'm willing to bet the soulmate principle is hitting the lamia too"

This was definitely news. Rashel had actually been concerned that they were the only ones around. Fayth's words came back to mind, about having friends from the Night and Day world who were soulmates. She regretted not asking her for specifics but now it was too late. They'd have to worm they way through this alone for the time being.

"It's ironic that these people are gravitating towards Vegas. There are a bunch of outposts there for Council members. The Lord of the Night World has a central control point somewhere there too" Quinn continued, "A lot of lamia stay around there in the summer to… enjoy the variety"

"That's disgusting," she growled. Her appetite had suddenly waned and she tossed the last piece of cookie into a side street. Some stray animal would be happy about it. "Even assuming that it's dangerous, it's the only lead we have. I know people around Vegas too so if it gets too crazy, we can disappear there for a while"

Now it was his turn to turn to her with slight annoyance. "Because the vampire hunter community will obviously be very pleased to have a vampire knock on their door and ask for asylum. That's not going to happen"

"I'd rather face them than have to ask Hunter Redfern for a bed and breakfast," she replied with the same haughtiness, "Don't think for a second that I'm playing some 'doped girl for the night' role in a vampire lair. If they'd even let you in, now that you're a wanted man"

"They probably wouldn't," he agreed and took a left. She followed his lead and glimpsed a main road through the clustered buildings up ahead. "I wonder if your people would"

"Probably not," she echoed, "I left the place at fifteen and mostly did my own thing anyway. I just hung around the group because they received info on Night World cases regularly. I could only go by newspaper articles and my own instincts. They were helpful and a good team but they weren't friends of mine. They don't owe me."

"You should learn to blackmail. It comes in handy," Quinn advised as they passed by the last couple of stores and stood on the open pavement. She decided not to argue with him about his methods and waited, tapping her hand against the thigh where her knife rested under the black jeans. Vehicles zoomed past in flashes and they kept walking in the hub of people that passed them here, part of the nightlife of the city.

"How do you know the guy anyway?" she questioned again as they rounded another corner and crossed the street at some lights. Quinn eyed two guys that accidentally shoved against his side in the crowd and she had to nudge his shoulder to regain his attention.

"Marcus?"

She nodded while briefly admiring a collection of outrageous costumes in the window of a party store filled with pulsing disco lights. They kept going, always straight ahead.

"Wrong place, right time," he said, leaning his head right back to look up at the starless night, "He had just moved to L.A. and didn't know his way around the clubs yet. He was sixteen, so that was around five years ago. He was in university around there but that night he visited the wrong place and stuck out like a sore thumb. I got him a drink and when he was spilling his life story, it was easy to convince him that we'd be beneficial for each other. It's a give and take. He gets me the right information when I want it and I supply him with enough to finance his cravings. That doesn't stop at me. By now, the guy doesn't need a job when he has a number of people feeding his accounts for the details he can get them."

"For such a smart guy he doesn't look much like one," Rashel remarked, watching the night around them merge into a colourful blur the further they got into the city centre, "Especially with the friends he keeps. Where do you even find somebody that…eccentric?"

"Zora?" Quinn guessed. He turned his dark eyes to watch her expression contort at the mention of the witch's name.

"I couldn't deal with someone like that," she exclaimed, redoing her ponytail that was coming loose, "I couldn't listen to her for more than five minutes"

"I figured when I found you outside. What did she do to you?" he asked.

Rashel found herself slowing down as he sprung the question on her. She didn't really want to tell him the details of the conversation just yet. She needed to have a think about them first. So she put on a blank face and kept her tone irritated as though she was genuinely ticked off about it, "Crept up to me like I was a statue in a museum and kept staring. I hate dealing with people crowding around me and ogling. Then she babbled some strange things that were completely disjointed and didn't make sense."

"He did say that she has a tendency to invade people's privacy," Quinn agreed, "But I don't think he notices much around his house"

"Wait. Where are we going?" Rashel stopped in front of a records store and leaned against the brick wall to allow others to pass by them, "I take it you have no idea either"

Quinn followed her example and braced his back against the rough surface. "This is New York. There are a million places to go. Any preferences?"

"Well it's about…" she sneaked a glance into the store, catching sight of a huge clock behind the cashier, "nine thirty so how about a place to rest? I'm not as much of a Wolverine at recovering as you are. We've been walking half the day."

"Recovering like a _what_?" he twisted his head to look at her.

"It's from a movie…" she quickly explained, wanting to bite her tongue at throwing in that lame reference, "Doesn't matter. Come on, let's get this over with and find a motel"

His grin was devilish this time. "Truly romantic, aren't you?"

Inwardly, she blushed at the comment but thankfully she was an expert at keeping her cool. So she just stepped forward, turning so she was exactly face to face with him. Her thigh barely brushed his but she was so near that she could see his pupils dilate over his equally dark iris as she came closer. She leaned her mouth near his ear and let her fingers thread through the hair at the back of his neck and whispered, "Maybe you can teach me"

"Tease," he murmured back and she backed away from her position with a laugh. She hefted her bag up higher on her shoulder and went on walking, hearing his soft footfalls catching up as he came after her.

She didn't recognize herself as somebody who was any good at romance or remotely talented at seduction but it was so much fun seeing the effect she had on Quinn. She must be doing something right. Every time they touched in a situation that wasn't necessarily to share direct thoughts or conspire about things that didn't need to be heard by people around them, she picked up subtle changes in his expression and body language. It was like he was in disbelief that she would make any kind of advances.

He caught up and she didn't look up to meet his eyes. He stayed a fraction closer now as they walked and after a period of silence he felt his hand slip under the strap of her duffel bag. She asked the question with her eyes as he threw her bag over his free shoulder but he shrugged and said quite casually, "Romance is overrated"

She had to smile at the contradiction to the generous gesture. Spontaneously, she added, "We'd be bad at it anyway"

"Heartless human being that you are," he agreed. She found that she loved his sarcasm. It looked like she'd found her match there.

"Add an overemotional vampire and you have a disaster"

He chuckled and she couldn't help but join in. His laugh was just as addictive as his gaze. She couldn't seem to stop herself from responding. Plus, it was a crazy picture they were painting of themselves and the impossible notion of it. She had more heart and conscience than she was willing to admit and the thought of him being dramatic, overemotional – it was plain hilarious.

"What do you know about romance?" he asked out of the blue with a glint in his eyes. Again, she didn't look at his face when she answered, not really out of shame but because she didn't want to watch his reaction to her inexperience.

"It only ever got as romantic as me threatening to castrate a guy who wanted to take me on a date"

"I can imagine that. Did he get the message?" He sounded intrigued by the idea.

"Yes," Rashel recalled the memory with a smirk. The guy had thought her earlier threats to be playing hard to get but at that he had finally backed off. He'd taken a classmate out instead a week later. "I never wanted to date. Guys my age can only be mature when it comes to sneaking into clubs or getting a driver's license. They also take up time. That doesn't work very well when I am out trying to kill as many parasi…vampires as possible"

"So I was your first?" Quinn asked and she almost choked at the implication. This time she had to fight the faint blush that crept up her neck and she prayed he wouldn't notice in the darkness.

"First for many things," she said, staring right ahead.

The vampire stayed silent after the confession and she bit her tongue, thinking she'd already given away too much. She had never been this honest with anybody, she realized. She hadn't kept anyone close enough to have deep conversations and as a rule always shut out any foster families she was thrown into. She wasn't overly antisocial; she just chose to spend her time with people who understood her obligations. Everything about herself she was now confessing to a vampire she knew for a couple of days. Zora's words came back to mind and she pressed her lips together.

The quiet between them lasted two whole blocks before Rashel needed a break from the tension. She gave Quinn a sign to wait and bolted into a little convenience store on a corner. A young woman, hair dyed black with a piercing in her nose and wearing so much black that she rivalled Rashel's outfit, sat behind the counter. She was sipping a beer but quickly hid it behind the rack of gum as she walked in.

"Can I help?" she chirped and threw in the effort of sitting up in her chair.

Rashel nodded, tossing a quick glance outside to see that Quinn was watching their interaction. She let out her breath and approached the woman. "I was wondering if you knew the nearest motel in walking distance"

"Oh. Sure," she pulled out a map from under the counter and flipped it open, "If you head out from here, there are a couple of options," She pointed them out to Rashel who made sure to memorize their locations in case one was already full. Then she also looked towards the window of the shop, gazing at Quinn who had turned to watch the bustle on the road, "You running away with handsome there?"

"Is that any of your business?" Rashel snapped back and earned herself a reproaching look from the woman. She leaned on the counter and gave Rashel a meek smile that was obviously meant to show that she wasn't trying to offend her.

"I'd just be careful. I did the same when I was crazy in love with my older boyfriend at sixteen. I ended up stranded in Kansas on my own. I'm just saying, make sure this is what you want and you're not making a mistake"

What was it with people giving her warnings today? It was like an evil omen was floating around over her head and kept sending out signals in form of advice from unexpected people. She'd made this decision three days ago and there was no going back now. As much as little doubts kept nagging at her, she knew that she wouldn't have made another choice. She needed to make a new start and she would do it with her soulmate.

"Thanks," she said and left the store, feeling frazzled by the warning.

Quinn fell into step with her as she stormed ahead, putting as much distance as possible between herself and the flood of warnings that this city was releasing her way. Paranoid people, that's all they were. Did she seriously look like she needed consolidation?

She led them through the endless maze of streets that only seemed to get fuller as they went even though it was getting later and later. Rashel tried to recall what day it was, whether it was a weekend, which would explain all these people out and about, but her sense of time was messed up. She'd find out in the motel.

"So are you absolutely sure you want to run away with me?" Quinn questioned from beside her, "Not scared that I might dump you in Kansas?"

"That thing about people's privacy, I think you've been copying Zora," Rashel taunted back, "Who said you were allowed to listen to my conversation?"

"That wasn't a conversation, that was a lecture. Do you know how hard it is to stop overhearing things when you've got good hearing?"

"No. I have normal ears that don't hear noises through glass windows while standing in the middle of a loud sidewalk. And if you tried to dump me, I'd tie you to the nearest tree and leave you there to starve" she pointed out.

"You could try. But I'm carrying the bag with the sharp tools" he quipped and she half-turned to roll her eyes at him.

"Give me a minute so I can concentrate on actually finding the street"

He smirked behind her but obeyed. She diverted her attention away from the conversation for a moment and instead searched the small side streets around them, reading the street names to make sure they were following the right route. She started watching people as they headed home, out or leaving for their late night jobs. She thought she spotted a face turning their way and staring for a moment but it was quickly concealed behind a hood and the person moved on. It was too far away to be sure in the dark.

She took a deep breath, tasting the car fumes on her tongue. She didn't like New York all that much yet. Maybe she was just too worn out to appreciate it. Her previous routine had been so simple, so repetitive. Stalk, stake, hide the corpse and go home. No problem. Now that they had been on the run three days in a row she was beginning to feel it wear on her. To top that, they were in a city that was bound to be an overload for the senses.

When the motel sign blinked at them in the night she was glad. She wanted to re-bandage her wounds and just sit and think. She wanted to be clear on what she wanted to do and how she wanted to sort out her current situation. She also wanted to digest the words she'd been given by two very different people today and think about whether to take them seriously or not. Which meant, she'd also have to speak with Quinn about it. The simple thought made her body tense. This wasn't something she was looking forward to.

She took initiative this time, wordlessly taking her bag from him and rifling through to find her wallet. The receptionist accepted the request for a room and her money without complaint and asked if she wanted breakfast thrown into the deal. She shook her head, took the key and set out to find their home for the night.

Quinn was already waiting at the designated door and took the key from her wordlessly. It was nicer than the previous one and the bed looked so incredibly inviting that Rashel wanted to fall right onto it. She didn't, just sat down on the floor to remove her boots and stretch out her body. She satisfying pop of her joints as she leaned her head on her outstretched knees had her feeling much better immediately.

She pulled the knife out of her pants and massaged the area where it had pressed against her leg the entire day. Then she rolled up the pant leg to expose her calf. She wrinkled her nose at the sight. The bandage was soaked red and had come loose from the top thanks to today's exertions.

"That doesn't smell good," Quinn announced from the other end of the room, where he had stowed their bags in the small closet provided for them. She'd already forgotten that he would smell the fresh bleeding. She braced herself for the sight.

"Doesn't feel that good either," she answered and peeled away the entire thing. It didn't look any better. The beast had torn into her meat, not just the top layers of skin. She'd been lucky that he hadn't carved out a whole chunk of her leg. Fact was, the wound was still sticky with blood and the more she moved it, the more it bled. She had no intentions of having it treated in a hospital but she also couldn't afford to put pressure on it. She'd have to strap it up and hope that the next twelve hours of rest would help somewhat.

"Maybe I should leave it open for the night," she added and turned to Quinn for his opinion. He had come closer and crouched down beside her to look at the damage.

"Maybe you need to see a doctor about it," he hinted.

"Forget that. I've got my shots covered and I can bandage it alone" She was about to pull herself up using the bed for support when Quinn suppressed her attempt with a firm hand on her unblemished shoulder. He fetched the first-aid kit they had nicked from the base and threw it over to her. Then he pulled a pillow away from the headboard of the bed and lay down, resting his chin on his arms, to watch her.

"There's another solution, you know," he remarked as she completed the procedure on her leg and checked her shoulder.

She pulled off her sweater, tossing it in the trashcan in the corner. It was the torn one and while some might deem it a fashion statement, she had no use for clothes that looked like she'd just been mugged. The gauze on her shoulder was still in place but also tinged in red. She exhaled loudly as she pulled it off and had to twist around to ensure that she wasn't ripping extra skin off.

"Plastic surgery?" she thought out loud. The disinfecting spray stung and she blinked away the resulting wetness in her eyes. She decided that she officially despised large, carnivorous animals of any kind. No wonder she'd never asked for a pet.

"Vampire blood"

Her hand stopped halfway to the roll of bandages and she turned to look at his face. He was quite close and their eyes were aligned when she straightened fully. He wasn't joking. His expression was serious and maybe a touch challenging as he gazed at her. It was an honest offer. She swallowed and felt her throat go dry.

"What's that going to do to me?"

"Nothing too extreme if I don't give you much. A couple of swallows will improve your senses for some time. A bit more will be enough to speed up the healing," he shrugged his shoulders where he lay and the corner of his mouth lifted, "If you want"

It was nothing like the first time where he'd been driven to force her into becoming a vampire. It wasn't necessary to help her survive tonight. It was purely her decision. She had to know though. She had to ask. "Why would you offer to give me that?"

He smiled beautifully and almost managed to look like an angel there in the white light of the lamp swinging overhead. "Because I'm not going to leave you behind. Not in Kansas or anywhere else. I keep my promises"

She had to swallow again. Something hot was growing in her chest and spreading through her body. Everyone was wrong. So completely wrong. How could he be dangerous for her when he would tell her things like this and want to help her recover? How could she doubt him over and over when he tried so hard to change for her? So what if he didn't constantly include her in his plan-making and kept information to himself until she probed him for it. They had barely started working together; they would figure it out in time. They had both preferred solitude for years. It was only normal that caring for and loving another person would take some practice.

She should be grateful that he even considered sharing his blood. She would have to put aside her prejudices to do this but she was willing to. She placed her trust in him. She'd said she trusted him with her life and she wasn't going to back out here. She was brave enough to try and it was obvious she wasn't going to be able to keep going if the wounds infected.

"What do I owe you for this?" she asked hesitantly, tilting her head loosen up her shoulder. She never stopped looking into his eyes. They held hers as he said, "I'm sure you'll find something at some point"

She took a deep breath and lifted herself off the floor to sit on the end of the bed. He moved aside and sat up so that his body faced her. He waited for her to take a few calming breaths, then he lifted his wrist to his mouth. She only glimpsed his canines lengthening to their maximum before they disappeared behind his arm. She stared unabashed at the spectacle in front of her and had to remind herself that this was what she wanted. Her sensei sprang to the forefront of her mind as she watched. His words of warning repeated themselves in her head. He would have killed her if he could see her now. He wouldn't have understood that she had never lost her honour; she was just searching for a new life.

This step suddenly seemed like a milestone in her overcoming her hate for vampires and everything they stood for. She would taste blood. Quinn's blood. Immortal blood. Mixed with that of that woman he had taken from today. It would be something entirely different from anything she had eaten and hopefully not as disgusting as it sounded in her mind.

The wet breaking of flesh under his teeth had her closing her eyes. She worked on keeping her nerves in check. It was safe, she told herself repeatedly, and it was what she wanted. She'd made the choice. Quinn cleared his throat beside her and she snapped to attention. His wrist was extended in front of him and she glanced at the rivulets of red running over them, at his calm face, then back again.

She let out the breath she'd been holding. Then she gripped the bleeding wrist and slowly, slowly leaned in. The scent filled her nose but before she could begin to identify it she was distracted by the taste. It was a taste, which completely caught her unprepared, it slammed into her and she couldn't control her reactions. She was hazily aware that she clawed deeper into his arm and latched onto the bloodstream like her life depended on it. Somewhere in her fuzzy head, she was embarrassed by the loss of restraint but she couldn't pull away.

There was no description; just that it wasn't metallic or heavy like human blood. The consistence was the same, hot fluid that ran down her throat, but the taste was unique. It was like it had developed a taste of its own that fit in neither of the human ranges of sweet, salty, sour or bitter. As she drank she could only think of incoherent thoughts like age, euphoria, invincibility, darkness and glory. Somehow the taste reminded her of all these things and raised emotions in her that she couldn't explain.

She'd barely swallowed two mouthfuls when something else happened. Bonding. It was the same kind of fireworks that had occurred when he'd first drank from her but this time it happened more smoothly like a phone connection had been disrupted and now returned in full clarity. It was as though they had never separated. They were intertwined in a way that went beyond physical or emotional and this time she wasn't overwhelmed. She was exhilarated to the point where she felt like she was flying.

Time wasn't important. Reality wasn't important. Nothing else mattered but that this continued.

Quinn obviously had more self-control than her in that moment because he tugged the source of her bliss away from her. Her hands gripped harder but of course in her daze she was no match against him when he was absolute in his decision. The world came back into focus and she blinked a couple of times to regain a sense of balance. She realized the reason for the strange alignment of the room was because she was flat on her back. The ceiling stared back at her and Quinn was righting himself beside her, wiping the self-inflicted bite clean.

She was breathing rapidly and it was because her heart was pulsing like crazy. She swallowed again just to relive the experience with the last drops on her tongue. So this was the feeling of drinking somebody else's blood. This was life. She felt entirely renewed. Or maybe that was just because everything was heightened. He hadn't promised too much when he'd said that she would have improved senses. It was incredible.

Quinn's head appeared in her vision and she could have sworn he'd never been more gorgeous. She could see him perfectly even as he blocked out the overhead light. He looked a little out of it as well but he was grinning, madly as always.

"Well?"

Rashel just blurted the first word that came to mind, "Amazing"

Quinn nodded knowingly. "You went a little overboard. But I guess that just means you'll be back on your feet by tomorrow"

"Perfect," she replied, still catching her breath, "How about you?"

He sat back on his knees and drew the shirt over his head. Rashel honestly didn't want to stare but with the more than a hundred percent eyesight she had right now, it was impossible not to. She was seeing muscles shift under the skin that she had never spotted before. The body may have been compact and not overly tall but it was trained. She needed a moment to catch on to the fact that the bullet holes had shrunk to harmless little scabs. It hadn't even taken him a day to recover from potentially severe injuries.

He didn't notice her as he inspected his stomach and decided, "Wood is going to scar but most of it should be gone tomorrow"

She raised her eyebrows, "I actually meant your wrist"

He shifted his attention to his arm and gave it a shake to get the feeling back into his fingers after her vice grip. "I'll live"

"You just wanted an excuse to take your shirt off," she said, feeling uncharacteristically bold with her words now that she had such a rush in her limbs.

He leaned down and braced himself on either side of her head. He was near enough for her to feel the energy from his body, bare skin inches away from hers. "Will you stab me if I say yes?"

"I don't have anything on me, Quinn," she murmured back.

"Good," he said and covered the rest of the distance to meet her lips with his.


	5. Lovers

_Day 2, 21:50, New York_

She had no idea what she was doing and that was probably the whole reason behind her enjoying it. Quinn's hands were touching her and his lips were on hers and there wasn't all that much room in her head to monitor her responses. They came automatically and she arched into him as his fingertips pressed against her lower back and he sat up, pulling her with him. She found herself on his lap, somehow, her ankles crossed behind his back on the mattress as they fervently explored another's bodies.

There was gentleness in his approaches, which she felt even though she was completely wrapped up in their exchange of heated kisses. He was holding back and she resented it. She thought she had shown him by now that she was not a glass figurine ready to shatter under some aggression. He was mindful of her injuries and she was thankful but that didn't mean she wasn't prepared for force behind the caresses.

It probably wasn't wise to provoke him but it wasn't just her desire to see his true nature, it was also her need to prove that she wasn't hesitant anymore. She'd already laid her cards out in the open and he knew that she had done close to nothing in that department. Nonetheless, she wanted a whole lot more. More than she'd ever given consideration to in her seventeen years.

She freed her legs from where they were curved around his hips and moved her hands from his neck to the shoulders. One hard push and he went down on his back. She took the opportunity to breathe and switch positions so that she straddled his hips. Before he could object to the changeover of power, she tilted her body downwards and captured his mouth again. She couldn't be certain that it was the intake of inhuman blood making her ignore all the boundaries she'd ever set for herself or if it was the rush of the moment.

She was enjoying this. Quinn's hands had found the back of her thighs and his loose grip was gradually becoming harder until she felt his fingers pressing into her jeans. It did nothing to stop her ministrations. Rather, she found herself biting down on his lower lip as she felt them moving up higher. Quinn's pleasured growl reverberated through his chest and the sound had her wanting more of it. He escaped her for a second only to move onto the skin between her neck and collarbone.

Rashel gasped with the sensation. She couldn't have stopped herself if she tried. She felt like she was being set on fire under his mouth. She didn't have a single ounce of fear that he might take the liberty to sink his fangs into her. As though those concerns had never existed with him. His lips found her hammering pulse, just underneath her jawbone, and she felt herself melting as they touched on the sensitive area.

The entire room seemed to have grown into a furnace because her skin was blissfully burning. Her arms where shaking where she was bracing herself over him. She felt his searing bare skin brush against her own upper body. She lost all ability to think at this point and could only feel. Quinn was releasing her, dropping back onto the mattress. His eyes were wild, blacker than ever and she couldn't decide whether to get lost in them or force him to keep going.

Her breathing was laboured again and by now, the rise and fall of his ribs was prominent as well. She licked her lips, tasting him on them. He kept his eyes on her, which were perfectly focused despite the roiling emotions behind them. She felt she could see right down to his core through the dark clouds that filled them. She could virtually feel his want for her.

She dipped down again and drew him into a deep kiss. She was sitting more than lying now and her freed hands found his shoulders and travelled down slowly, taking time to feel every bit of skin and muscle. They danced over the tight abdominals and scratched over the bone of his hips as she kept his mouth occupied. Quinn seemed excited by the newfound adventurous touch and responded with vigour, hooking his thumbs through the belt loops of her jeans and pulling her closer.

She was unprepared when he made use of his physical control to lift her up for the fraction of a second and sit up in the same motion. She gasped at the sudden jolt and gripped onto him, her hands coming up to hold the back of his neck for balance. He was on eye-level with her and she felt his hands crawling up her spine. She figured he was going for the clasp of her bra and immediately tensed out of reflex. They continued upwards however and then her tie was gone and her long hair fell down her back.

Her eyes fell shut as he drew his fingertips down the black strands and for a moment she felt unbelievably soothed. His hand tangled in them and she felt a tug that had her head falling back. He kissed the open arch of her neck, following the curve right up to her ear where he managed to utter in a husky voice, "Beautiful"

She couldn't reply. She couldn't even recall how to talk. He was kissing her again and all that was possible was to throw as much passion as she could muster. She relished how the grasp in her hair was possessive and the strong fingers splayed on her back were her security. She wanted to be his just as desperately as she wanted him.

Her arms had acted of their own accord once more and when he let her up for air she realized she had her hands on the clasp of his belt, not yet unfastening it, but there sure enough. She pulled them back quickly and placed them in safer territory on his chest. Hungrily, he demanded her attention again and she lost herself in the heat of his lips, ignoring that she had any qualms.

It was really only a matter of time until their privacy was interrupted. Fate may have made them soulmates but it could still be cruel and mocking when it chose to. The disturbance arrived in form of a sharp knock from the direction from the door. Rashel had completely forgotten that there was a door. Or a motel. Or anything else.

She broke away, as did Quinn and the entire golden atmosphere evaporated and faded with the separation. In the immediate moments after reality had sprung this interruption on them, Rashel slipped back into stealth and defence mode. Both of them glanced over to the door. Their breathing was slightly laboured and skin rising in goosebumps from the loss of each other's body heat. It had the same effect as a cold shower because suddenly there was nothing mystical and passionate left in the situation. The spell was broken and the realization that they were still being hunted sunk in again.

They moved off the bed in unison as the knock sounded again, more distinct this time since they were entirely zoned in on the source. Rashel crept forward, snatched her knife from the ground and positioned herself beside the doorway with her back against the wall. Nobody would be able to see her from this position unless they stepped inside and then she'd already have the advantage. Quinn gave her a curt nod. He was acknowledging her plan and reacting accordingly.

He approached the door, stretched his arms out and flexed his hands in preparation for a head-on attack if it should come, then casually unlocked it. She kept her body loose but her mind coiled tightly as the telltale click of the lock reached her ears. She willed her hazy mind to focus and gather all awareness of her surroundings in the way she had always worked.

Then the door was open and the cool night air rushed in along the sounds of the outside world. The lights from the street lamps outside poured over the threshold, allowing her to see better and cast both Quinn's and another's body in long shadows that stretched all the way to the opposite wall. She tried to distinguish between the two and categorize the outline of the intruder but it was fruitless. Instead she sharpened her ears and kept her breathing as quiet as possible. If she could keep her presence secret for long enough she had the element of surprise.

Then something strange happened. As she watched Quinn's profile carefully, she was thrown slightly off guard when he put on a smile and let his upper body visibly relax. That didn't really help her in terms of whether it was a friend or foe. For all she knew he could be putting on a convincing act of being at ease in the stranger's presence. Or it meant that he was familiar with whoever had come knocking. She waited, determined to find a signal in Quinn's movements that told her to jump in, but nothing came. He only ran a hand through his hair in a gesture of laid-back surprise and said, "Out of all people, I didn't expect you to find me here"

A self-assured voice answered him from the other side of the doorstep. It wasn't cold but still had an air of professionalism with a teasing undertone. Rashel suddenly got the bizarre image of a bespectacled woman in a suit. She was also fairly sure, simply by judging the voice, that this person was a vampire. She couldn't pinpoint why exactly, maybe her years of experience with the way they talked or maybe the posture Quinn had fallen into. It spoke volumes of him placing himself on the same level with somebody whom he considered more or less equal. Maybe she was overanalysing but that was definitely an option.

"I'm full of surprises," the voice told Quinn, "It doesn't happen every day that I find you walking around New York. I make the most of coincidences when they happen"

"So you followed me here?" he asked back.

Rashel was getting irritated. Her idea of overwhelming the knocker with a lunge from the side didn't seem that smart at all. She felt like a fool, standing in her corner, barely a meter away from the body that the voice belonged to and without a clue as to whether she should just drop the knife, attack anyway or keep hiding. That would qualify as another disadvantage of working as a couple, she noted, and this was precisely why she had always wanted to work alone. Coordination was so much easier when you only had to ask permission from yourself.

She forced herself to keep track of the conversation.

"Well since I broke up with that shifter, sniffing you out wasn't going to work. So I followed you," she paused and Rashel waited for the next remark with baited breath, "But before I get into details you can let me in so I don't look like some whore begging for a job"

"It's not my fault you dress like that," he replied and took a step forward so he was effectively blocking the entire entrance, "Let's go for a walk. The night is just starting and I don't want to stay in here for the rest of it"

Rashel saw the strategy even as he spoke and immediately changed tactics in her head. So he was trying to lure the woman away so that she wouldn't be spotted. Which meant she should be doing her best to stay undetected instead of preparing for a frontal attack.

She didn't like that he was commandeering the situation and handling it on his own but he had the bonus of knowing the vampire he was talking too, meaning that he knew her well enough to know what was best. So she let him continue without intervening. She didn't have enough information to go on and had no idea whether the newcomer was seriously dangerous or just a nuisance he was getting rid of. Either way, she trusted him to let her know.

The vampire was obviously more strong-willed than she appeared in Rashel's inner eye. There were no noises to indicate her backing up and going along with Quinn's suggestion. Instead she assured him, "I don't mind your company. The human you were with is with you isn't she? Honestly, I don't care if you want to feed. I'm not even curious about what you've been doing, I just want to talk today"

"You're telling me you don't want to have a drink for old times sake?" Quinn was putting on his charm again and it irked Rashel. She tagged it off as just being unaccustomed to Quinn flirting with other people. She'd never had a problem with jealousy but it was a weird feeling to have to listen without making herself known.

Then there was the comment of the faceless girl. She'd implied that they'd done different things than just talking in the past. Mentally kicking herself, she shoved the thought away, trying to keep her focus. She may be misinterpreting the implication but it bothered her to be forced to listen. She didn't want to risk moving further into the room because with the vampire this close, her footsteps would give her away.

"I've already been out," she declined easily and Rashel sensed her coming nearer again. She could see Quinn leaning back fractionally, which meant she had come closer to him. Again, she felt that strange tweak inside her that told her there was more going on here than she could tell. The vampire definitely had no qualms about talking to Quinn like a friend and that unnerved her. Who knew why she had appeared so suddenly? She was speaking again, "Come on. What's up with you? You don't usually need that much prodding. Do I look like I've come to chop your head off?"

Rashel's mind was racing around what she should do. Any second now, the vampire would try to get Quinn out of the way and come inside. Pretending to be a mindless, hypnotized body that had been dragged along for his meal was not going to happen. She wasn't good enough an actress in front of two people who could scrutinize her and she knew her patience would snap if she was going to have to watch the two of them while pretending to be completely out of it. Not to mention letting Quinn bite her. She refused to do that.

Then there was still the option of attacking and restraining this guest to interrogate her. She knew she could do it if she timed it well but then again, if this girl wasn't a spy or an agent sent by Hunter, then a complicated situation would ensue, which she would probably have to sort it out somehow. How would Quinn explain having a vampire hunter with him? Even if she didn't have any idea about the events in Boston, revealing their relationship to any vampire was dangerous. Especially because she didn't know what Quinn wanted to do. Apart from the failed diversion he didn't appear to want to get violent to make her leave.

"You're just unexpected," he said, "I came here for some privacy and you turn up on my doorstep"

"Too bad, I'm not going anywhere just yet," she laughed softly, "You're annoyed that I messed up in your plans for tonight. I know you hate surprises"

"That means you already know me too well," his tone had a strange undertone as he was joking along with her. Real or faked, Rashel couldn't tell.

"You pick the wrong girls to acquaint yourself with, so that's your own fault"

She heard the vampire move again and this time when she tried to get in, Quinn twisted aside to let her pass. There was obviously no point in stalling longer; it would only make her more suspicious. He stepped backwards into the room as well and with his back to Rashel, reached out to find her hand and gently pushed it down. She understood and quickly let her knife vanish in the back of her pants. She used the momentary contact to also forge a direct connection to Quinn's mind.

_What's going on?_

_I'm not sure yet. She's got a very good mental shield. I can't get in without her knowing. We're just going to have to see what she wants to say._

_And what's my role in this? I'm guessing not the vampire hunter._

_Just stand there and pretend to be relaxed. Try not to say too much. Let's have her assume that I brought you along for the evening and see how it goes. If we're going to have a problem, I'll let you know._

All this was communicated in the simple brush of his hand against hers. Thoughts were exchanged much faster than spoken words and Rashel was glad their connection allowed them to do this. It gave her reassurance, despite the situation. So she pushed the knife into the waistband of her jeans until it was thoroughly out of sight and raised her eyes to examine the young woman that had walked into the room.

Said vampire also turned, lazily, while letting her eyes sweep the interior of their room. As she faced the entrance again, she caught sight of Rashel, who had just managed to disguise her movement as tugging her pants up from where they'd slipped quite low. Both girls stilled and silently assessed another, as lionesses sized up their prey and decided whether it was worth going in for the kill.

Rashel had to admit the intruder was pretty. The vampire was slightly above her height but only because she was in heels that had her grow several inches. It gave Rashel a certain satisfaction to know that she could look down at her. She had a well proportioned and athletic body. Rashel had a critical eye when it came to physical fitness. What drew her eye more than anything though was the face.

It was only in the face that she could immediately pick up the supernatural side of her. The features would have been plain in a human face but on hers they were stunning. She had full lips together with a small, slightly upturned nose. That would have made her look like a pouty princess if not for the blazing eyes and expressive eyebrows. The irises were a dark hazel, lighter around the pupil, but instead of exuding warmth, they were opaque. It was like looking at a biology textbook diagram. There was nothing about the person itself shown in the eyes. This woman had eyes as sealed as Quinn's had been.

She embodied youth and beauty, especially with the short haircut that had the flaxen hair curling against her cheek and falling just above her eyes. Similarly, the stranger was dressed to kill in an outfit that showed just enough to be sensual while falling under the category of decent. However, she had thrown a baggy sweatshirt over it, probably to walk around without being groped every five steps, which explained why Rashel had seen only a fraction of her face under the hood when she glimpsed her on the street. That was why she had not paid extra attention to the incident. She had assumed it was just another passer-by.

There was a new kind of tension in the room and the newcomer was the first to break it. Although she didn't make the effort to speak to her. She just flicked her eyes up and down her topless form, doing the same kind of internal judging that Rashel had done and then looked away. The thorough gaze made Rashel realize that her shoulder wound was completely open to all eyes. She cursed inwardly. The gashes would be a dead giveaway if this vampire had been informed about the fights she and Quinn had been in since yesterday. She would immediately know who Rashel actually was. She didn't comment though or grant her any extra attention.

Quinn was closing the door and leaned against it, far enough away from Rashel to not appear attached in any personal way. He met his guest's gaze evenly without making any move to introduce the two of them.

The out-of-place feeling was still there but now that they were face to face, Rashel felt more in control again. Even if she had to play by Quinn's rules right now, the vampire was standing in her realm without knowing it, and she was determined to keep her at a disadvantage if she could.

"Not your usual kind of place," was the girl's remark to Quinn after she'd settled on the edge of the double bed with crossed legs.

"Are you here to debate my choice of overnight stay?"

"No. I'm here to catch up. After you decide to head over to L.A, then someplace in the North and Boston without ever stopping over here again, I want to know what you've been up to. Don't think I've forgotten how you just upped and left last April"

"You don't actually care about _that_," he pointed out, "You would have known that you shouldn't expect a postcard from me"

"I didn't. That's why I used the opportunity when I found you today. It's your bad luck that I noticed you out there," her lips curved into a smirk, "So what _have_ you been doing? Trying to make the big break in Hollywood? Or did Hunter want you around California to make sure you weren't getting out of bounds?"

She tossed a glance at Rashel when she asked that who did her best to look completely neutral instead of glaring back. She felt the hilt of her knife dig into her back and was ever so tempted to pull it out and did what she did best. It was infuriating to just stand and listen to the banter between the two and not be able to join and wipe any arrogance off the girl's face. She didn't know if she was going to be able to keep the restraint up.

Quinn appeared calm if not annoyed that she was insisting on hearing about his life. Rashel could almost feel him tense inside as she mentioned Hunter's name.

"Something like that. He's gotten under the impression that I'm not interested enough in becoming involved with the Council. There was an instance last summer with Ash Redfern that I handled on my own. I reckon he's just concerned that I'm not referring back to him for permission"

He said all this very noncommittally and Rashel was tempted to clap him on the back for it. He was saying enough without giving away anything. But it was too early to be satisfied. The girl's next answer shattered any illusions she had about being on the safe side.

"Well, that's interesting. Because from what I've been told, he still isn't happy with you. To me it doesn't look like you're being a good heir when you're running off with a soulmate and trying to burn him alive"

She knew everything. Even though there was no malice in her speech, that comment set Rashel off. This girl had been told about them and she was here to sell them out. There was no other plausible explanation.

Her reaction was quite instinctive as she leapt forward, pulling out her knife as she came down on her target and pinned the girl within seconds. She had obviously not anticipated that Rashel was pumped with vampire blood or was a trained martial artist who was an expert on pressure points and painful positions. It was apparent that she hadn't even known that Rashel was the most notorious vampire hunter around, which gave her an extra two seconds bonus in her lunge.

Her response to Rashel's attack came a fraction too late and half-hearted when she was already nailed to the mattress with Rashel's knee digging into her body under her ribs and the knife pressed firmly against her throat. Once the attack had actually registered, she raised her arms to throw Rashel off her but that was hindered when Quinn joined the fray and pulled them back from behind to hold them down on the covers. She thrashed violently for a bit but soon came to see that she was outnumbered and outmatched. With a growl, she fell back on the bed, baring her fangs at the faces above her.

"Who told you?" Rashel asked coolly, glad to be calling the shots again. This little victory had her feeling much more like her old self and she added pressure to the blade just for the heck of it. She was rewarded with the widening of the furious hazel eyes as a line of blood welled up on her throat.

"You're making a mistake," the girl hissed as she tried breathing flatter to avoid expanding her lungs that were being crushed by Rashel's knee, "Listen to me first"

"I'd rather have an answer, bloodsucker," Rashel snapped back, "You have exactly five seconds before this goes through your throat. So, who told you about us?"

The vampire didn't seem frightened enough by her threat and still met her gaze angrily. "Even if I told you, you would kill me for it. I'll pass"

Quinn intervened then, before Rashel could do anything rash. His black eyes were beseeching but carried a definite warning. "Don't pretend. You came here for a reason and you cornered me for a reason. I know that you like your immortality and she's not exaggerating. She'll kill you. So stop playing the hero and tell us who informed you. The more convincing you are, the longer you'll live"

She snarled again but now the worry was making her face pale and the red staining the knife grew as Rashel pushed lightly. Her eyes bored into Quinn's hovering above her and she gritted out, "Thierry Descoudres"

Quinn's attitude changed immediately. Even Rashel drew back in surprise. The name was famous within the Night World and there was no mistaking the significance that it carried with it. The first made vampire, thousands of years old, one of the few who could call himself a Lord of the Night World. Rashel had never seen a picture but there had been enough mention of this man to amaze her. He had unbelievable influence. Especially during her stay in Vegas, it had been a running daydream of hers to be able to catch this guy one day. Even if it killed her, she would have been a legend.

Now this girl was claiming to have heard it directly from him. Somehow, she highly doubted the truth of it. "And why would he choose to inform you?" she asked, "If you were that important I'd expect some protection with you"

"Who says I don't have any?" She raised an eyebrow daringly but Rashel was having none of it. If there were backup for her, they would have been here by now. Unless their only method of alerting another was through long-distance telepathy. Even then, she could have used her telepathic powers to render Rashel unconscious if she was that powerful. She was bluffing.

"She's not lying about him," Quinn said suddenly and Rashel looked across to see him staring down at their captive. He must have been able to break through the mental barriers.

"I'm not suicidal," the vampire muttered from under Rashel, "Like it's any use lying to somebody who has four centuries of practice in mindreading"

Quinn didn't say anything but Rashel caught the amused twitch of his mouth as he looked away.

"Answer the question," Rashel repeated, "Why did he tell you? And why would he be interested in us anyway? Is he siding with Hunter to have us assassinated?"

The girl looked up at her for a long time before heaving a dry laugh. Rashel bet that she was debating whether to keep resisting or just spill the beans while she had the chance to wriggle out of this situation.

Finally, with an eye-roll that betrayed her annoyance, she confessed, "He told me because I am one of the few undercover agents he has in New York right now. From what I got, Hunter had a lovely conversation with him about some crazy rebellion on a Boston enclave where Quinn went out of his mind, declared he had broken both Night World laws and tried to burn the entire group there alive. The usual gossip. Hunter was trying to enlist Thierry to widen his search for you through the southern states. Thierry has a lot of people working for him all over the country. It's easy enough to pass on the news."

"Logical, if not for the fact that he sent you in unprepared," Quinn objected, "Which doesn't make any sense. You aren't ready to take on both of us at all"

"Well I didn't know she was a goddamn vampire hunter! Apparently Hunter twisted the story so that you were responsible for all the evil. I was focusing on you being problematic not her," Her fangs flashed as she spoke and she looked more exasperated than panicked that her plot had been uncovered so quickly.

Quinn saw through the act.

"You weren't going to kill me either. You didn't even try. You don't have any people waiting outside. So either those aren't your orders or you are ignoring them on purpose. Why?"

She fell silent. Her eyes dropped away to look at the chair and table set on the other side of the room. Obviously she needed to consider her answer before saying too much. Rashel and Quinn shared a glance that spoke of puzzlement and new wariness. Something was going on here. Something possibly worse than what had happened up until now.

"Hey," Rashel prompted, moving her knife to prod the girl in the collarbone, "We're waiting"

"I'm not here to kill anybody," she was defensive now, "He wants you two alive. I'm here to convince you to go now before one of Hunter's people realizes you're in New York"

"Why would he go against Hunter? That's the guy who has been making an effort to get all the made vampires to support him," Rashel didn't understand, "There's no reason to go behind his back"

"Because, in his words, "They are too valuable for the future to be condemned to die for Hunter's ideals". So I guess you're not expendable enough for him to hand you over"

"Valuable," Quinn repeated slowly, his tone darkening as he went on, "For what? He's barely met me twice and knows me by reputation more than anything. He has never seen Rashel. You're telling me he can judge our worth and decide against the Council to help a law breaker and a vampire hunter?"

He sounded angrier than before. Rashel looked up at him and noticed how his fangs had appeared and his neck and shoulders had tightened. He looked ready to snap if their guest didn't get down to business soon. The vampire took note of that too and she sounded cynical when she told them, "That's how Daybreak works. Thierry decides, the rest of us do"

Both of them stilled. Now that, if it was true, changed everything. This was big news.

Rashel was in disbelief and looking over at Quinn, could see that he was visibly taken aback as well. Could it be that their luck had turned? Circle Daybreak had found out about them and decided that they approved enough to send people out to search for them. It was too good to be true. Especially the part about Thierry Descoudres being the head of the operation. It sounded almost like he ran the whole organisation. As far-fetched as that was, it also made sense to Rashel. Why else would Daybreak have remained undercover for so long and who would be more fitting to fund and lead the group other than a vampire who had been around to see the Night World being built up in the first place?

"Is it true?" she asked Quinn who nodded.

"Everything until now," he affirmed quietly. As if on cue, they both turned their attention down to her again. She had long since stopped squirming and was looking rather expectant. Having seen their reactions, she appeared smug that she had been able to turn the situation around in her favour. They were hanging on her every word now.

"Let's get back to the start then. How about you listen to me first and then ask questions? And while we're at it, take that chunk of wood away from me and get off so I can talk without my chest being squashed"

Rashel deigned her with a glare but she pulled back anyway to give her some space. It wasn't her turn to make demands anymore. The atmosphere had changed drastically and there was a new air of curiosity in the room. The girl rose up on her elbows and used one thumb to wipe over the scratch on her neck. It came away stained dark but the cut wasn't bleeding any longer. She looked mildly impressed though. "Well if your guts are any reason to keep you around, human, I can see why Thierry wants you on the team"

"My name is Rashel," she cut in. She was sick of being addressed by her species instead of her identity. If she was going to let this girl speak to them, she wanted it to be as equals. She'd already proven that she was more than fairly matched with her.

The spontaneous declaration seemed to please the girl. She sat up fully as Quinn also released her wrists and sat opposite them on the covers. Then she actually looked at Rashel with a hint of an approving smile. "I'm Anja Stefansson"

"That sounds more Scandinavian than American"

"I've got Norwegian ancestors but I'm a hundred percent New Yorker," she announced with a wink towards Quinn who just shrugged in response. Rashel presumed it was some sort of inside joke she had just stumbled upon. As tempting as it was to ask about their history, there were more important things at hand. She made herself think practically.

"So the excuse of catching up with Quinn…"

"A cover. There are all kinds of people around here who may or may not be loyal to the Council and I didn't want to take chances until I made sure you were both in here. No need to be chatting about Daybreak in the open air. It's too risky"

"How come he's so interested in us?" Quinn asked, "The burning of the enclave only happened three days ago and you're already up to date"

"I told you, Hunter went to Thierry about it. From there, it didn't take long to reach our agents nearest to Boston. I don't know, maybe he thought you were going to hide out in some other lord's territory or betray his secrets. He is spreading the word to prevent that"

"That doesn't explain why your boss wants to protect us. What's so valuable about soulmates who are on the run from the Council? We're more of a risk to protect than a bonus", Rashel pointed out, gesturing at herself and Quinn with the tip of her knife.

"There aren't many soulmate couples out there yet. I've only met two so far. Thierry says it's becoming more and more frequent these days and he's made it his mission to take in as many of them into Daybreak as he can. Most of them don't know where to go anyway. It's mostly human and Night World people finding each other and when they do, it's chaos. You people are rare. Personally, I have no idea what's extra special about you two. I mean, I know Quinn is secretly famous under vampires," Quinn grinned with exposed fangs, "and you're a good fighter too…"

"The best," Quinn corrected and earned a warning look from Rashel, "I'm sure you've heard of the Cat. She was a big rumour around New York a couple of years back"

Anja looked over at Rashel who was now doing her best not to look involved in any of this. She didn't like being praised or gloating about her skills in front of others. A habit she had always connected with her anonymity in front of others.

"I've heard about her. That's…" she paused and searched for the right word, "ironic. Quinn the human hater and Rashel the Cat. How on earth did you not kill each other on the spot?"

"We had enough run-ins where we got close," Rashel admitted, still uncomfortable about her alias being exposed. She cleared her throat. "So your boss wants us because we're both good at what we do and because he happens to care about us not being killed for Hunter's satisfaction. Is that about right?"

"Crudely formulated. He would like you to join Daybreak on a give and take basis. You will have protection from bounty hunters and whatever else is after you at this point and in return he wants you to help the Circle. Don't ask me what, I only know that he would like to speak to you two and I'm here to guide you there. He's willing to take that risk with two people who have a price on their heads"

"He sounds like too much of a nice guy to be the oldest made vampire in the world," Rashel commented, "Did he also invite you into Daybreak?"

Anja shook her head. "I only met him this year. No, it was a friend I hadn't seen for many years, he's lamia. We were together in the nineties before he moved to Vegas. He's been part of the Circle for a long time now and when he visited, I sort of squeezed it out of him. I've never been with the Council on the 'enslave the humans' part so I volunteered to join. It's not that easy nowadays but back then there were only a handful of members mostly in Vegas. By now, I think there are outposts in every state. I've been in New York most of the time, just reporting Council activity here. I check the clubs for any illegal deals and things like that. It doesn't really clash with my life"

"So the whole time…" Quinn started and Anja nodded, answering his unasked question. He shook his head in disbelief, running a hand through his hair. Rashel was slowly catching on. The girl must have been keeping Quinn around to get information about the Council.

"And you believe in the soulmate principle?" Rashel questioned.

"I guess. I've seen it in others so I know it exists. I don't know if I'll ever find one. I don't really care either."

"She's right," Quinn faced Rashel as he explained, "When a made vampire leaves all human relationships behind, they grow less important. So after twenty years, like Anja, you wouldn't look for love like humans do. It's not essential in our nature"

"You are the prime example," the vampire stated, "Over three hundred years without ever wanting to fall in love. So what does it feel like finding the one?"

Rashel felt the burning black eyes turn to her and she glanced around to meet them. The hardness slipped from his gaze and then all he said was, "Like there's nothing else I need"


	6. Doubts

_Day 3, 10:07, New York_

Rashel's ears still rang with the resonance of the sentence from last night as she woke up. She herself hadn't known what to say or how to even respond to Quinn's statement. It was something that had definitely gone through her head in the last couple of hours, days even, but to hear him say it was new. There was nothing else he needed. She was everything. To hear it tinted the world a whole different light.

She stretched and looked over to the other side of the bed where Quinn had sat guard last night when she passed out on him. It had been around two in the morning by the time Anja had considered herself satisfied with their exchange and had left to prepare an inconspicuous escape from New York. She'd been exhausted after hours of discussion, not to mention the day's travel. She hadn't meant to fall asleep but apparently her body still needed some recovery rest.

Now she blinked in the hazy glow of the morning and focused on her soulmate who sat against the headboard, balancing a paper plate of croissants on his lap. Her eyes grew wide at the sight. She hadn't realized how hungry she was and he wordlessly extended the breakfast towards her as she sat up. She brushed her hair out of her eyes and dug in, careless about the crumbs falling onto the covers.

He was deep in thought, she could tell from the way he stared at the door without blinking and the blank expression on his face. She finished her food before carefully nudging at him with her toe.

"What's going on?" she asked, sweeping the covers clean of the pastry flakes.

He shrugged, sliding down the headboard to lie on the pillows and linking his hands behind his head. His voice was calm, factual when he spoke. "Revisiting some memories"

And there they were again. Her insecurities came knocking on the door. So he'd been thinking about their vampire guest and not just about her proposal but their time from before Rashel had even been part of the picture. She looked aside, unsure of a response that would be right for this situation. In the end, she chose to let the words stand in the room.

Eventually, she carefully probed the subject she was actually interested in, "With all we discussed yesterday, Anja didn't talk much about the time before you left New York."

His response was short and almost monotone. It was simple to guess that he didn't want to broach this subject any further. "I lived with her for convenience for a couple of months," he looked at her as he answered but she got the impression he was speaking to himself rather than explaining to her.

There was definitely more being left unsaid than he was revealing. She couldn't bring herself to ask what this convenience of sharing a house had been. She couldn't even decide whether she wanted to know.

Not the best way to start her morning. She composed herself inwardly and quenched the urge to ask again. It wouldn't be going anywhere.

"I figured," was all she said, turning away to slip out of bed and jump in the shower. Quinn didn't stop her or say anything more on the subject. She gathered fresh clothes and locked herself in the bathroom, letting out a breath.

She turned on the water and sat on the ground for a minute, running her hands through her hair. She knew she shouldn't be giving this any thought. So what if a remnant of Quinn's past barged into his life again? She had expected it to happen at some point. Anyone who had a bone to pick with him or whom he owed money or something of the sort, she could have handled. Just not a beautiful vampire who, from the impression she was getting, had been very friendly with him.

Frustrated with herself for considering this in the first place, she ripped off her sleep shirt and stepped under the spray of the shower. The temperature raised goosebumps on her skin immediately but she welcomed the physical distraction. Anything to stop these thoughts from bothering her at the moment. She'd just gotten up. She didn't want to have to deal with this throughout the day.

Herein lay the problem. Anja had warned them to stay in this room for as long as possible. Their laying low would be easiest if only she knew exactly where to find them but the rest of the Night World had no chance to spot them on the streets. By that point in the evening, she'd decided she believed the girl enough to agree that it was their best option.

Before they parted, the vampire had approximated that she could get their transport out of the city organized within twelve hours. It seemed ridiculously convenient but in the way she had explained it to them, it was also logical. Apparently there were agents flying in this morning on a private aircraft and would leave in the evening. She just needed to contact them, brief them on the situation and then she would retrieve them and have them on the way to Vegas by tonight.

However, that meant Rashel was stuck here waiting the entire day. Alone with Quinn in a tiny room and too many questions filling her head.

She prolonged the shower for a good twenty minutes until the lukewarm temperature of the water dropped even further than when she'd started. She turned it off. Dressed in underwear and still shivering slightly, she sat on the toilet lid and stared blankly at the wall. Sometimes she wondered what she'd gotten herself into. It didn't matter. It was too late to go back now when they were so close to a new beginning.

A look in the small mirror over the sink told her that her shoulder looked much better. The bite marks were still visible but the flesh had regenerated nicely without the bulk of scar tissue she'd anticipated. Her leg too had stopped throbbing and was now simply inflamed skin rather than open wound. He hadn't promised too much when he'd given her blood. Even her senses were still sharpened; she experienced everything in more detail and depth than before.

Which meant she heard it when the person in the next room opened up her bag and rummaged through her weapons. She could hear the distinctive knocking of wooden and metal objects against another, then the scrape of a different material. Presumably the frame with the photograph inside. There was a stretch of silence in which Quinn was probably looking at the image and contemplating its significance. Then the rustle of clothes until he reached the bottom of her bag and found the purse she'd been careful to conceal right in the corner.

She opened the door, mindless of her lack of clothes and stared down at him where he was crouched over her belongings. "What are you doing?"

He glanced up, not apologetic despite the irritated tone. He quirked an eyebrow at her stance in the doorframe. "I'm out of coins. I need to make a call"

That threw her off course.

Irrationally, she'd expected something more serious, more dramatic. Scratch that, she'd expected some outrageous plot to take her money and ditch her here and wait for some Night World thug to pick up on her trail. A ridiculous scenario and now that she had confronted him she knew she was being foolish. Of course he had to make a call. Of course a payphone here in the motel needed coins. She presumed it was Marcus he wanted to contact to let him know where to have the fake papers delivered.

Why was she so damn paranoid today? She wanted to close her eyes and bash her head against the wall a couple of times until any unlikely suspicions vanished for good. In reality, she settled for twisting her hair into a ponytail to shake any remaining water out and simply waving him off to cover up her strange reaction, "Sure, go ahead"

If he noticed something off about her, he didn't bring it up. He didn't seem particularly conversational either. He took the coins and left as she retreated to the bathroom. She felt the need to punch something. She couldn't believe she was acting this way. She should be glad. Daybreak had found them instead of vice versa. In no time at all, they'd be in Vegas and hopefully getting some answers.

She had been nothing but a mess since getting off the island. Three major deaths to cope with, attacks to deal with, battle wounds to nurse, soulmate issues to solve. Throw in a gorgeous vampire from old times and she was at snapping point. She stared at herself in the mirror. Was that it? Was this jealousy? Full on, blown-up jealousy about a relationship she knew nothing about and only assumed existed in the past?

It wasn't even her place to be angry. They'd only been together for a couple of days. She had nothing to be possessive about. Being soulmates had opened up a new world but it hadn't shut out reality or the past.

But the thought that Quinn had been doing exactly what he'd done with her the night before, with that girl, didn't leave her alone. She couldn't change the past but that didn't mean she couldn't be annoyed about it. Her teenager hormones were finally making an appearance at the worst time possible. She didn't know how to squash this idea but she was afraid it would impair her judgement and lead to problems sooner or later.

Determined to get over it, she threw on a top and shorts and after a second of hesitation, retrieved her _bokken_ from her weapons arsenal on the floor. A workout had always managed to calm her mind, regardless of the issue. She held the blade in front of her for a while, simply admiring the green sheen as she tilted it from side to side in the warm light of the room. She did this most of the times before she would go out on a hunt, getting a feel for the weapon back in her hand and finding her balance.

Morbid as it sounded but she'd missed it after almost a week of only handling a knife. She practiced a few swings, pretended to skewer the cupboard in the corner before dancing backwards at the last minute. She aimed to behead the fake plant in the corner, then leapt across the floor to stake the door. Again, she drew back before she could hit anything. This was actually, in a strange way, fun. She could feel her mood lightening already. She and her sword were one again and the additional vampire blood in her had her feeling extremely energetic and alert.

After a good ten minutes of systematically taking down non-existent enemies, she reverted to some traditional martial art exercises and by the time Quinn slipped back inside, the sword was on the ground at her side as she fluidly went through hand-to-hand combat with an invisible partner.

He leaned against the closed door for a minute, watching as she practiced with closed eyes and guessing what move she was anticipating and blocking until he recognized the pattern of her movement. He could tell when she struck the fatal blow, throwing a punch upwards against the attacker's jaw and clamping her other hand around his neck from the back to snap it. The twist she put behind the final move had her finishing with her back to him. She stopped, relaxed her body and opened her eyes to look over her shoulder at Quinn.

He met the green gaze and nodded to the empty spot on the floor in front of her. "Poor guy"

She just shrugged and sat in a cross-legged position while re-doing her ponytail, "I feel better when I'm not just sitting around in one place. If leaving here is not an option, I can get some training in"

He regarded her for a long moment, letting her words sink in, then got straight to the point of what was really going on. "You're sceptical about this plan?"

"How much does it sound like the perfectly planned trap?" she laughed humourlessly, "But I trust you. You said she didn't lie so I'm going with it. Even if it sounds insanely easy and she appeared at a very convenient time"

He shook his head decisively, "You don't believe in getting lucky then"

"I count on myself, that's it," she replied easily, slipping her sword back into her sack, "And I don't trust anyone. That I don't know well enough," she added on afterthought but Quinn noted the hesitance. Of course he did.

"It's fine. She won't betray us," he reassured her.

"Because you slept with her?"

Rashel froze the moment she had muttered the words. Her entire body was still with realization of what she had just accused him of. Her eyes darted to his face.

He didn't look fazed beyond normal but she could sense the agitation coming from him without even trying. Her statement had made an impact, unearthed exactly what he had wanted to conceal for as long as possible. His eyes seemed to become bottomless, dangerous.

"If you want to look at it that way," he said, gaze fixed on Rashel who couldn't look away without feeling the guilt building inside. She hadn't planned to attack him so directly. It had just slipped out and now she felt the injustice of it, especially after his emotionally honest confession yesterday night. But he wasn't denying it, he was confirming her secret worries and as much as she wanted to stop caring, it felt like a punch to the gut.

He came closer. He didn't pause as she stood up and suddenly she saw he had her cornered, between the bed and the wall. Although she stood her ground, his presence suddenly felt enormous. "Just say it. What this is actually about is my relationship with her. You have a problem with her because she isn't some enemy, she's someone that I know and you can't judge her properly. My past is done, you know," he said, coming ever closer until there was barely a distance between their faces, "What I did then, it's not now"

"I never said that," she retorted defensively, "I don't care about what you did. What matters is whether her story is true and we can trust her"

"Don't lie"

She clenched her jaw, matching his authoritative tone with her own. "Your relationship isn't my problem. And even if I cared, there's nothing I could do to change what you did. I can't waste my time on it. She's from your past and she's back, I can deal with it. If you say she's not a threat, fine, you believe that. She still needs to prove herself to me."

He gripped her forearm, not a harsh hold but tightly enough to prevent her from breaking away easily. At first she thought it was to shake sense into her but then his true intention swept through her head.

_So tell me you're not angry. Tell me that it means nothing to you and you're not resenting that we had that relationship. I want to hear it._

Instinctively, she flinched under his fingers. Her mind wanted to protect the humiliating truth from him even though she knew either this reaction or her silence would tell him all her needed to know. She couldn't help it. Her expression grew cold as she found herself caught in a dilemma she would not be able to escape with violence. Her mind was vulnerable; she couldn't shield the truth from him here.

_Let go. _She demanded instead, wanting to divert from the issue. Not that he complied with her request. _I mean it._

_You started this Rashel. You can't just walk away now. _

She refused to give into his request but deep down she knew it was only a matter of patience and skill until she would be made to speak her thoughts plainly. Even if it killed her to admit this weakness, such a petty, irrational, uncontrollable weakness. He was right though, she had brought it up and she needed to come clean.

She ground out the truth, matching his anger with her tone, not hiding the fact that she was anything but happy about him forcing this out of her. _I've been thinking about it. I've thought about everything she said and her motives and after all that, about what she wants from you. I don't want to be worried, I don't want to be jealous, but I'm not stupid. Now you're going to be in Daybreak, what excuse could be better to get back to where you ended?_

_Then you weren't listening to me when I told her there's nobody else I want. Or need. _

_It's not you I don't trust, Quinn._

She felt his fingers loosen ever so slightly on her skin. He sounded subdued. _You see threats everywhere, you know that?_

_And most of the time I'm right. _She responded and moved out of his hold to lean against the wall and put some space between them. He didn't say anything. There was a new kind of tension in the room, an uncomfortably tight feeling that she really hadn't intended to cause.

She avoided his gaze as she brushed past him and headed outside into the sunshine. She leaned on the railing that spanned along the row of motel rooms overlooking the parking lot.

The warmth felt good on her face but she couldn't enjoy it. She was distraught with herself. How had things gotten so complicated already? Back on the island, at the height of chaos and stress, their shared moment in the room had felt simple, natural and full of mutual feelings. Days later, it just seemed they were falling apart. Their minds weren't one anymore, even through the link.

A hand slipped beside hers on the railing and she felt Quinn hover near her shoulder. She let herself feel just that for a moment, this closeness they seemed to consistently find and lose again. She felt her resolve cracking inside. "I'm sorry," she whispered, "I don't want to be feeling this but I can't get rid of it"

That was all. Nothing else needed to be said. He understood and he accepted. They would work it out.

She felt the pressure of his chin on her shoulder and for a while he remained where he was. A silent, protective shadow pressed against her back. The sun kept rising higher into the sky and he eventually said, "We should get back out of sight".

The rest of the day passed with her being slightly more at ease. She felt a small weight had been lifted from her just by letting out her opinions and decided she would be open with him from here on out. At least as much as she felt she needed to be. They were soulmates, they shouldn't have to stay silent, even if it was almost ingrained in them to do so after lifetimes of secrecy. Their past was something they would speak about eventually. For now though, she didn't want to ask again.

Around late midday, Quinn left the motel with the announcement that he had a few errands to run before they could leave. Rashel didn't stop him. While she was vaguely curious what was so important that he could afford to leave and be detected by anybody on the lookout for them, she was glad to have some privacy. Despite their connection, it was nice to have some space just as she had been used to.

She got herself lunch from the vending machine in the reception area and then sat facing the door, munching mindlessly on a packet of dried fruit mix. The bed was comfortable enough to just lean against the pillows and daydream for a while. She consciously loosened her muscles, let her body sink into the mattress and let her eyes droop. It had been a long time when she had just let her mind float instead of constantly being on alert. Now that she thought about it, she probably hadn't truly ever relaxed since that fateful day when she'd barely been five years old.

Incoherent thoughts floated around her head, visions of the future that was awaiting her in a couple of hours mingling with recent memories of her foster parents, the girls, the enclave. It still seemed somehow surreal that she was here now.

She almost choked on a raisin when a triple knock sounded on the door at some point. Shaken out of her waking doze she fumbled for her knife and approached the entrance on silent feet. She didn't utter a word but waited for another sign that this was not an enemy. It could be Anja. If it was Quinn, he would have gotten in touch with her mentally and on the other extreme, a bounty hunter or Council minion would probably not have the courtesy of knocking before he murdered her.

After a moment of contemplation and intense listening, she sighed and unlocked the door. The lock clicked audibly and she stepped back, weapon held firmly in her right hand and weight leaned forward onto the balls of her feet. The knocker seemed to understand. The handle turned and a moment later sunlight wafted into the room as it cracked open.

An unruly head poked itself in, lightly stubbly and with sunglasses pulled over his eyes. As she set eyes on him, Rashel let out her breath and lowered the knife gradually to her side.

"So it's you," she noted, narrowing her eyes at him, "What do you want?"

"Where's Quinn?" Marcus asked back, his husky voice sounding surprisingly coherent. Maybe he had needed to drive here himself, which would explain the largely sober attitude that seemed miles apart from how they had met previously.

He came inside the room, hand lingering on the door handle before shutting it completely. She could virtually watch him eye her up and down before deciding to step into the room further. She didn't drop her weapon.

"You didn't answer my question," she retorted curtly, refusing to be ignored, "You give me one, I'll give you yours"

He looked slightly nervous, or maybe it was his lack of a cigarette. One of his hands was twitching almost imperceptibly at his side and he quickly slipped it into his jeans pocket as she glanced in that direction. "I'm here to deliver," was all he explained.

"Might as well give it to me. Quinn's won't be back for a while," she shrugged.

He shook his head decisively and once again she was struck by this strange sense of loyalty Night People developed amongst another. So they could trust other supernatural races even if they were technically natural enemies, but a human was not smart or dependable enough to be trusted with something he would give to her soulmate.

There was an awkward silence in the room until Rashel decided to be the bigger person and break some ice. No matter how strange, doped up or rude this guy was, or how he was involved with Quinn, if he was going to stick around until said vampire returned, she might as well behave in a civil manner.

"Do you want to sit?" she motioned to the bed, while she herself pulled up the single chair in the room and made herself comfortable, never breaking eye contact. The witch looked ready to deny her offer but finally appeared to acknowledge that there was no other way but to stay and wait for his client to show up. Keeping his gaze on her as though she was some animal to be kept at bay, he slumped onto the mattress.

She knew he was studying her behind those tinted glasses, surely trying to decipher what role she played in this quest of Quinn's. She had no idea how much this guy new about her, how much he'd been told yesterday. She doubted it was much. Now that he was here though and there was no additional person to eavesdrop, it was all too tempting to ask some questions that Quinn would surely not answer her.

"So you work for Quinn?" she questioned as innocently as possible, tilting her head aside as though being genuinely curious without ulterior motives.

An eyebrow was raised. "It's a mutual agreement. We're friends"

"It sure is convenient to have friends who know how to forge passports," she agreed, flashing him a sarcastic smile that had his neutral expression flicker momentarily, "You know, in an ideal world it would be just great that you help him out like that. Did he bribe you into it? Does he have leverage on you?"

"Who are you again?" he sniped back, defensive now, "Arm candy for a couple of days?"

She narrowed her eyes at the comment. He was better than she gave him credit for. He knew how to evade risky topics with biting remarks. But two could play that game. In a voice that had an icier edge to it than before, she answered, "On Quinn's list, I'm definitely less expendable than you"

That had him bristling. "I'm the reason you haven't been found yet. It's clear as day, the fact that you two checked in here. There are security feeds all over. If I wasn't hacking in and erasing the fact that you ever made an appearance, you'd be in deep shit right now."

She put on the vaguely impressed face. "Replacing some footage in a cheap motel security system. That's really an extremely risky job"

He scoffed, took off his glasses and looked her right in the eye. His gaze was almost unnervingly clear today and with an angry sneer, he told her, "I don't know who the hell he's running from now or why he's involved you without mental control, but I'm sure you're exactly like the others I've seen come and go. Some girl that crossed his path he took an interest in. Whatever he wants with you, don't delude yourself. You're not special. Sooner or later he'll stop being entertained."

"Did your insane girlfriend tell you that?" she replied, trying to keep up the nonchalant attitude despite the fact that his last statement was angering her, "Or do all witches think they can prophesize other people's lives?"

"It's not hard to guess. Quinn doesn't do long-term," the young man told her, shrugging a shoulder in a careless gesture, "You've already been exception enough if he's really taking you out of the city with him"

"You don't know anything about me"

He actually laughed at that. "Well, you're Rashel Jordan, born December 11th, resident in four different states since you were six years old, became a foster child after father abandoned the family and mother was murdered under mysterious circumstances. You live in Boston and your foster parents were found murdered yesterday. I think I do know something."

He gave her a self-satisfied smirk, deepened by the glinting amethyst of his eyes.

She blinked and then settled on a glare. "You ran a background check on me?" she hissed, allowing her hands to clench into fists at her sides. The wood of her weapon dug into her skin.

"Quinn suggested it. The more basic information I have, the easier to recreate official documents," he wore a smirk, "Afraid I'd dig up touchy secrets?"

"None to find," she replied, "I think you'd be more lucky on Quinn's side of things"

"So he doesn't tell you about himself, does he?"

She fell quiet, resorting to a glare only as she forced herself to stay put in her seat. He was infuriating her and the fact that he'd invaded her privacy, Quinn's hint or not, was not getting him any credit from her. She was far from impressed right now. Her teeth bit into her cheek to keep herself from hurling words at him that might cause her more trouble than they were worth.

Inconveniently, he didn't leave it at that rhetorical question. Her short silence was enough of an indication for him that he'd hit a nerve.

"He's keeping it that way on purpose. You're nothing to him," he got up and eyed her almost distastefully, "So why don't you be a good girl and tell me where he's gone so I don't have to waste my time here"

That was it.

She jumped up and was up in his face a second later, hissing the words at him in a more collected voice than she'd thought possible, "How about you shut up and sit back down before my patience runs out?"

His eyes glinted dangerously the way that only Night World creatures could and she could see his right hand shaking in her peripheral vision. She'd never seen a witch in action but she had heard stories about those that could use their power in a tangible manner. Witchfire, they called it because it resembled flame when they held such raw energy in their hands and used it as weapons. She'd never paid much mind to it. She'd always been focused on leeches, always subconsciously seeking the one who'd murdered her mother.

At this moment in time though, she was too riled up to recognise that there may be danger beyond that edge she was heading for. She was angry. It was boiling through her veins with white-hot speed and she knew if this guy said another word against her, she'd probably impale him. Somehow, she wanted to, just to see what his reaction would be. Or maybe just to stun him, to prove herself, to reveal what she was truly capable of.

He had surely taken note of the dagger in her hand but perhaps he didn't believe she would use it. Or in the heat of the moment, he'd forgotten she was holding it.

They were almost nose-to-nose, eyes boring into each other's without any scruples. They were making it more than clear what they thought of the other. The smirk was still there and it grew into a mocking, pitiless smile as he replied, "I don't think so"

And with that his hand shot out to grip her just above the wrist as though to wrestle the knife away from her grip. He was faster than she'd thought he could be. Not that an uncalculated skill had ever hindered her in winning. It just emphasized once again that she had to work on never judging her opponent by the first impression. This guy wasn't half as drugged and uncoordinated as he had seemed yesterday.

She instinctively drew her free arm back for a decent punch but was distracted by a searing pain that shot through her entire limb. She gasped for breath at the sensation. Her body was already reacting, the primal need for survival kicking in and having her twisting and struggling in his grasp but it seemed like his fingers had become glued to her flesh. It was an agony she'd never encountered before. Icy like a ferocious blizzard biting at her skin but it went much deeper, setting her nerves burning and robbing her muscles of any control.

A watery glance at his hand triumphantly clutching her arm showed the slight glow around his fingertips as he let his magic pour into her and wreck havoc. It was spreading through her body; she could feel it running up through her shoulder and down her side now. It was excruciating. Once her legs were affected, she knew she wouldn't be able to stay on her feet; she'd crumple like a sheet of paper eaten by fire.

She willed her free hand to move, to reach its mark before he was done with her. Her fist had loosened considerably already so any hit she'd aimed for against his scalp would not have an affect. There was only one other option her brain could come up with. The pain was fogging her head and she had to draw on all her training to remind herself of the one effective method she'd learnt.

Tilting her hand at an angle, she had to strain against his grip to hit the new area she was aiming for. Her knuckles dug into his chest and just as she'd judged from when he'd walked in earlier, he was not a very muscularly built person. There was not much flesh to protect what she was targeting. She could feel the breastbone under her hand and then the erratic thumping of his heart. She exuded pressure on that vulnerable point just as she had been taught so many years ago, pushing and pushing and despite her legs going numb now, throwing her entire weight into it.

His strangled cry of pain was relief to her.

He released her arm at the same time that she drew her head back and smashed it straight into his nose. Even as she stepped out of his reach, shaking legs and panting heavily, she knew her defence had been effective.

He'd stumbled backwards, doubled over and probably trying to calm the burning in his chest with deep breaths. This was made quite challenging by the fact that his face was dripping blood from his nose. Rashel took the second to look at her skin, which was burnt raw where he'd had her in his grip. Her muscles were still undergoing spasms and her hand was locked in place, clawed like talons around the knife. She couldn't feel her fingers.

She didn't know what she was feeling at that point, maybe fascination with this phenomenon. It was her first encounter with true witch power. Fury at being attacked so rashly, so without warning, simply for spite. And beyond that, frustration, at the fact that this guy had once again made it clear that Quinn was withholding more than he was telling her. That he'd gone behind her back by letting a stranger look into her past.

Still battling for full control of her legs, she advanced towards him and before he could straiten fully to meet her, delivered a clumsy kick to his diaphragm that had him sprawling backwards onto the floor.

She let herself fall on top of him, making sure to pin his arms properly as she settled on his waist and let her knife lie against the side of his throat, right next to his pulsing artery. Even that action cost her massive amounts of energy. She hoped he could feel the cold wood against his body. Even if it didn't have poisonous effects on witches, from what she'd heard, a stabbed throat would mean the end for any of them.

Blood coated his lips now, free flowing from his nose. His unnerving eyes were squinting at her and after a couple of coughs he rasped accusingly, "Who the hell are you?"

She realized her voice had also gone shaky and her throat dried from the brief torture. It took several tries to get it to work normally. "You're background check obviously failed on several points. You didn't look into my personal interests all that much"

"You're…one of them?" he huffed, incredulous where he lay pinned underneath her. She could see his hands twitch with desire to fasten themselves back in the spot they'd occupied on her body before. Perhaps this time he'd go for her neck.

She didn't have the energy to give him a smirk as he had before. "Yeah, vampire hunter. And unless you want to die on this floor today, you're going to start answering my questions. What did Quinn tell you to do? I want everything"

"He's going to rip your head off," the witch warned furiously, starting to strain against her hold.

"Watch me care," she bluffed, not wanting to waste her time explaining the soulmate principle to this guy and risking giving away too much before she had gotten any answers, "Get talking."

He turned his dishevelled head to the side, almost cutting himself on the edge of her knife. It seemed like he couldn't bear to face her directly when being forced to give away information in exchange for his life. Even worse that it was a woman overpowering him.

"Fake passports and IDs for both of you. Make sure nobody was tailing him"

She purposely leaned back a bit, adding weight to his hipbones and making herself just that little bit heavier to cause discomfort. "Not enough. What else?"

The witch audibly ground his teeth together before flashing her an angry look. "Nothing! He just gave me your name and had me run some extra research to go on for your papers. No big deal. End of story"

"And the touchy secrets?"

"Shouldn't you know them best?" he sneered but answered anyway as she retaliated by leaning her elbows onto his chest and effectively hindering his breathing further, "Fine, fine. So I looked into your past"

"Go on," she murmured, eyes locked on his now that he was giving her something worth her attention. It was almost like electricity racing along her body now that the anticipation was there.

"I looked into your history, right from the start. Made it easier to figure out where you were registered and all that. Your family"

"Nothing to find there anymore. Any family I have is dead," she cut him off.

He smiled, slowly, just slightly. "You might have been a foster kid for years…" he began, coughing again as more blood leaked from his nose over his chin. She eased up on his chest slightly, intent for the rest, "But you're not an only child"

She froze, gazing at him in stunned disbelief, which merged into anger. Finally, she demanded in a whisper that was both threat and denial at once, "What?"

Unfortunately, fate chose that moment to intervene and disrupt the interrogation with an untimely arrival. Early afternoon sun slanted into the room and over the crime scene where Rashel was still straddling Marcus. Completely absorbed in what she'd been about to discover, she hadn't even realized how very close they were physically. Now she raised her head, shielding her eyes against the glare from outside, and it felt like rising out of the stupor of a dream back into reality.

In reality, Quinn was there, his dark body brightly outlined against the sun. Rashel scrambled to her feet, pulling away from her victim. Marcus craned his head backwards, catching sight of the disruptor and then letting out a groan as he sat up. Whether it was in pain, relief or annoyance was indistinguishable.

And just to top off her wonderful day, the last person Rashel had wanted to see in this moment emerged behind the vampire in the frame and announced, "Mind if we join the party?"

Rashel could think of nothing else appropriate than to close her eyes and wish everyone around her far, far away.


	7. Beginning

_Day 3, 14:10, New York_

Quinn blinked slowly at the situation staring him in the face. He'd come back expecting just about anything but Rashel sitting on his informant, faces barely an inch from touching, on the ground. Anja shifted behind him, taking in the couple on the floor and didn't have the sense to keep silent. She tossed in a bemused comment, despite the irritation she must have picked up from him.

Rashel scrambled off the witch and he noticed the tremors running over her limbs, especially her arms. He missed the flaming red streak around her wrist as he diverted his attention to the rumpled witch she'd been straddling. He did his best not to immediately break every single one of his fingers right there and then. It was apparent that Rashel had given him a decent beating already.

His soulmate looked ready to throw herself out the window to escape the two pairs of judgemental eyes staring at her. Marcus picked himself up, wiping gingerly at his nose that bled afresh with his movement and muttering curses under his breath.

It took Quinn another moment to compose himself, taking care to make sure he didn't start growling any second now. He was the one to ask the obvious.

"What the _hell_ happened?"

There was an exchange of furious glances between the two guilty ones, daring another to open their mouth and explain. It came down to Marcus as Quinn turned menacing dark eyes on him.

He was still dripping red onto his shirt and the violet in his eyes was positively glowing with restrained anger. "Your human _bitch_ attacked me when I told her that she was lucky to be alive and should be grateful that I even put in the effort of making papers for her when she'll probably be dead in a few days"

If anything the black glare trained on him grew even more vicious. Anja on the other hand, appeared to find the outburst amusing.

"Well I'm sure your overflowing positivity would be no cause at all to get pissed off," she winked conspiratorially at Rashel, then side-stepped Quinn and approached the witch, "I don't think we've met before"

He cocked his head, letting suspicious eyes travel over her. The vampire let him appraise the sight in tight jeans and leather before extending her hand, "Anja"

"Marcus," he replied, shaking the offered hand without tearing his eyes off her.

"You're Harman?" she enquired further and he nodded, managing a triumphant grin at her taking notice of the heritage.

"When you're done," Quinn interjected, "I'd like my things and for you to get out"

Rashel glanced at him, sudden shock running through her at the thought of letting her best source of information out of her sight now. Even if he was one of the most annoying, self-centred people she'd come across in a while. She hastily stepped closer to Quinn, trying to get his full attention, "You know there's really no need to kick him out. I…was out of line. I punched him because he was irritating me"

"You got that right," the witch added spitefully.

Of course he had to rub it in somehow.

"That would be your cue to shut up," she snapped. Her knife still dangled at her side and now she raised it back to his throat height, warning him with her eyes not to take this fight any further.

Anja whistled through her teeth, "You children need to cool off"

"Don't even try to get involved," Rashel turned on her.

The girl responded by casting her a warning, "With an attitude like that you're going to make a lot of enemies real fast"

"Thanks for tip. I'll make sure I'll live up to that," she hissed back, "You already got beat once, don't make me change my mind about trusting you. I'd be more than happy to repeat last night"

That drew a laugh from her. "Tell me when I should pretend to look scared"

She narrowed her eyes threateningly, clenching her fingers against the handle of the dagger. Just as she opened her mouth to get right back at her, the fourth person in the room stopped her.

"Rashel"

She turned to Quinn, who'd finally spoken up. He was staring at her and it didn't look startled anymore. He was plainly riled up. She interpreted that as a sign for her to take it down a notch. Another heartbeat and she forced herself to back off, crossing the room to lean against the table in the corner. She didn't care for an apology.

The three Night people were talking amongst themselves now and she could only marvel, looking at them. How was it that she could hold grudges against two of them within minutes of meeting them and the third she felt unconditionally connected to in a mutual bond?

She watched in silence as Marcus more or less tossed the documents at Quinn, exchanged a few more words with him and then indicated angrily in her direction. All she caught were shreds of furious whispers coming from the witch, "…a total liability…vampire hunter…death sentence…"

She had the urge to smirk at the guy because she knew things he couldn't possibly understand. There was no rational explanation for her and Quinn, they had just happened. There was no way to reverse it and there sure was no chance a guy like him could ever understand their connection.

Quinn let him rant for a bit then fended him off with several clipped words, pressing a handful of bills into his hand. When that didn't have the desired effect, he bared his fangs at the witch and shoved him in the direction of the door. The young man grumbled something intelligible and let himself be guided towards the exit. At least he had the sense to know what was best for him. Rashel kept her eyes fixed on him as he opened the door. He paused long enough to return the glare before he left for good.

Her greatest urge was to punch him again, just for the satisfaction. A small part of her wanted to catch up to him and ask him further about what he'd found out about her. Maybe he'd just been bluffing to surprise her and use that to his advantage to overpower her. Maybe he'd been speaking the truth. Chances were, this was the last time she'd see him in a long time. Her past had always remained something sacred to her but suddenly felt like she hadn't known all that much about her true family at all.

She'd find out. If this witch could dig up secrets like that, then she definitely could. It was her personal history after all. For now, there were different issues as hand that needed her attention.

Anja was chastising Quinn and looking over at them, Rashel felt the prickles of suspicion returning to her. The way she spoke to him was on purely platonic terms but knowing that the girl had gone deeper with him in the past…she didn't want to think about it. It just had her imagining scenarios she didn't want to see.

She shook her hand lightly to get some feeling back into it and winced at the red imprints on her flesh. She hoped there was enough healing power in the blood she'd taken yesterday to get rid of this magic burn. She pried her fingers off the weapon and placed it on the table. Her muscles still felt cramped in position and the aftermath of destructive magic still sizzled inside her. Now that the adrenalin was washing away, she felt astonishingly weak. She made a mental note to evade full frontal witch attacks in future.

She'd just let herself sink down into a chair and hid her injured wrist behind her pulled up legs when Quinn turned around to her.

"Why did you attack him? Did he try anything?"

"Didn't he fill you in on all the details already?" she sighed, shifting into a more comfortable position in her seat, "No, he didn't do anything to me. He was just insulting to the point where I thought he needed to be put in his place"

He shook his head in disbelief. "You know there's a…."

"Hey," she cut across him, "It's done, I'm sorry if I messed anything up between you two. But aren't there more important things right now? What is happening tonight?"

The female vampire perked up at her mentioning the plan. "Definitely. I already told Quinn on the way but there is great news for you. I got you on board the flight at six. I won't be coming with you guys to Vegas but I'll take you to the airport. There are two daybreak agents on the plane and they've been briefed that there are soulmate fugitives going with them. So whatever you need to do before you get out of here, do it before five"

Rashel raised an eyebrow. "What, go wander around the city? I thought the laying low still applies"

The girl smirked at that comment, "For your safety it would be wiser not to. But from what I've heard about you being on the run, I bet you didn't have time to pack"

She shook her head no, wandering how that had any relevance and the vampire's smile grew wider. "You found the right person to get that sorted out. Actually, you know what, we'll head over to mine. I'll give you something to take, there are things I've sorted out ages ago. Saves us the trouble of running around in public. You can't go to Sin City with something to wear"

Well that was a change in tone. Rashel was tempted to ask her where this sudden surge of hospitality and helpfulness came from but she held her tongue. She caught Quinn's look and there were no reservations there, merely expectation of her reply. She shrugged, "Sure"

Anja threw the other vampire a triumphant look, as though to say I-told-you-so and immediately headed over to the door. "You guys get your things together, I'll wait in the car"

Rashel didn't move immediately after the door fell shut. She observed as Quinn began gathering their belongings and stuffing them into the appropriate bags. "What did you tell her about me?"

"Why?"

"Because I don't have vampire strangers offering me their closet. Did you convince her to be nice to me?" she really didn't want to sound accusing but this change of attitude was entirely different from the civil distance they'd kept last night, even after Anja's allegiance to Daybreak had been revealed. Something had to have happened to provoke this friendliness.

"I didn't," he assured her as she got up to retrieve her things from the bathroom, "You just met a nice vampire. Surprising but it happens"

"Especially since she should be holding a grudge against me for trying to kill her yesterday"

"She knows you weren't going to" Quinn handed her bag over to her and she dropped the rest of her possessions inside, "I thought we got rid of the paranoia this morning"

She snorted, "That was a completely different topic"

"Involving the same person" he reminded her and hoisted his bag onto his shoulder.

"Once we're on the way to Vegas and she still hasn't given me any reason to doubt her, I'll stop being suspicious," she promised, giving the room a last once over. Just her knife was left on the table now.

Just as she reached over for it, she heard Quinn's furious hiss behind her. She twisted around as he came to a stop in front of her, eyes fixed on the burnt skin of her wrist. His expression spoke for itself. He had pieced together the evidence. So much for keeping her battle wound unnoticed. She held it in front of her and defended, "It's not a big deal"

He didn't seem to think so. His fangs were extended and he alternated between staring at the witch's branding and her face. "You said he didn't harm you"

"You would have knocked his head off if I'd said something. Plus, I won the fight. There was no need for you to punish him too"

"He should know better than to touch anything that doesn't belong to him," the vampire said, slowly letting his features melt into the more human visage. Rashel had to smile at the protectiveness he showed today.

"That sounds a lot like you own me, Quinn"

His stubbornness remained but he piped down slightly. "Nobody else should"

She let a soft smile spread over her face, reached over and ran her hand down his neck to rest on his shoulder, all the while keeping a steady gaze on him. "Forget about this. I'm fine"

He pressed a kiss to her lips, slow and full of heat. When he pulled away and handed her the dagger, she couldn't help but feel her anxiety once again vanish into thin air. He was with her. There was no need to be worried as long as she had him by her side.

She pocketed the weapon and together they left the motel, stepping out into the fresh air and tasting the exhilaration of the unknown. It would be interesting to see where they ended up tonight. If everything ran smoothly, it would be in the protection of a Circle dedicated to peace, if not, then in the arms of their enemies. Either way, they would face it as partners.

The vampire's apartment was located in the Upper East Side. Rashel couldn't tear her eyes off the elegance surrounding her as the vampire pulled her car into the parking space assigned to her residence and led them into the elevator.

The interior of her housing was no less impressive and reminded distantly of the one Marcus had. The walls were an alternation of cream and russet, which set off the mahogany furniture in beautiful contrast. Rashel did her best to keep herself from staring at the riches displayed all over the place.

Every foster home Rashel had been placed into had either been very sparse or very cluttered but never stylish, never expensive. Not that she had cared when she was barely home but she could definitely appreciate an interior like this.

She'd barely stepped inside when she was hauled away as Anja called for Quinn to make himself comfortable. He only flashed her a grin as she was taken to the master bedroom and straight to the assortment of clothing that would easily have fit into an entire store.

"Walk-in closets are so convenient. I don't know if they have them at the headquarters but you should really try to get a room with one of them," her companion said as she sorted through the racks and racks of clothes.

"This is all yours?" Rashel muttered disbelievingly as she stood beside the bed, simply looking around, stunned, "What kind of a job do you have?"

"Multiple professions actually. They all involve very generous gentlemen," she replied from the depths of the adjacent room, "But I also get supported by Daybreak. They're better financed than you'd think. Figures with someone running it who has had thousands of years to become a multi-millionaire"

Rashel had to sit on the mattress, absorbing all that information. Apparently everything she'd ever picked up about Daybreak wasn't all that accurate if this was the kind of lifestyle it gave its members. That certainly had its allure.

The Scandinavian vampire returned with at least twenty hangers and tossed them on the bed, indicating for her to take a look. "Try that for starters. I'll look through the shoes"

"I really don't…" she started but was silenced with a look from Anja and a stack of jeans placed in her lap. She sighed as she was left to change. This was horribly reminiscent of her makeover session with Daphne. That had taken enough of her patience and hadn't even involved half the clothes she was presented with now.

She couldn't back out of this though. So even as she pulled off her clothes and began trying some on, she did her best to be grateful instead of pulling faces at the fact that she was being a live mannequin once again. It almost covered the fact that this was a vampire residence and she would never have thought she would set a foot in here.

"Tell me about how you met again," Anja's voice floated out of the massive closet. As if they were best friends. Rashel was more baffled by the minute. She was reluctant for a moment. After all, that story was personal and something she still didn't understand. However, as she pulled on yet another shirt, she figured the worst that could happen would be a comment about how predictable their 'kill or be killed' justifications for trying to murder each other were. She doubted this vampire would judge after spending time with Quinn herself.

"I met him on a stakeout. Human girls had been going missing and it was an area full of warehouses that needed checking out"

"In Boston?"

"Yes. My group ambushed Quinn, knocked him out and I stayed to guard him while they got reinforcements. Really, I'd planned on killing him alone so he wouldn't get tortured. I was always for the quick death"

"I'm sure that made him feel privileged," Anja noted as she came back out with a couple of thin tops, took one look at Rashel and added, "Yeah, you're taking that one"

She didn't even try to say no or argue that it wasn't her usual wardrobe; something told her it would be futile.

"He woke up before I could do it and there was something about him, not mind control, but for some reason I couldn't stab him without a fair fight. Completely stupid of me to let him go, but I was out of it that night"

"And he didn't kill you immediately? That's unusual," she held out some shorts for her to slip into, "You fought it out?"

"Started to. Then at some point we had skin contact and everything just went," she searched for an adequate word, "away. It was like being in a completely different universe. You don't see anything, the real world goes away and you're just…seeing each others souls"

The pretty vampire paused with a sceptical face. "Well that's deep"

"It's not explainable"

The girl just shook her head with a bemused expression. Then the serious air left her as she browsed through the options on the bed and threw a skirt at Rashel. "Try this, I think I still have the matching top"

An hour down the line and she was actually physically tired from trying on things she would never think of wearing. Anja was critical but equally supportive, obviously in her element as she tried different combinations on had downright refused to try on anything involving a high heel. After half an hour of coaxing had failed, Anja had resorted to reminding her that any man had a weakness for women in heels. That didn't make much of a difference.

Hell hath no fury as a vampire denied her will. Moments later, she gave Rashel a dress to try. The hunter sighed, already certain that she would never resort to wearing something of the sort. She had all kinds of justifications, from impractical to uncomfortable and overdone.

She wasn't expecting her soulmate to stand in the doorway a second later, just as Anja zipped up the garment and had her turn to face the mirror.

"Quinn, don't you think this would look incredible if she had the right shoes for it?" the girl drawled, sending Rashel spinning around as she noticed him in the doorway. She immediately set a dark glare on her. Telepathy was a dirty trick to use.

"I'm not doing this"

"Wrong," Anja replied and produced a pair of shoes that Rashel wanted to shove right back into the box they'd come out from, "He'll appreciate it"

She silently begged her soulmate for help on this one but he didn't seem to notice her desperation to evade the torture. Groaning in frustration, she yanked the heels from the vampire's hand and sat on the bed to force her feet into them. Grumbling under her breath, she managed to stand.

The curve of her foot in the high shoe was borderline painful and Anja looked smug, disappearing into the closet for hunt of more footwear. Quinn couldn't tear his gaze from Rashel though. She turned reluctantly to face the mirror and despite having no appreciation for being put through this, she acknowledged that the dress looked…nice.

He was behind her, his fingertips ghosting down her bare shoulders. As she watched their reflections in the polished glass, she noticed the beauty of them beside each other. Both of them stood in blacks and whites, stark contrasts that reminded of the darkness they'd come from and the light they were seeking.

"You should consider dresses more often," he advised with a charming grin that almost had her forgive the fact that his presence had forced her into these clothes.

"They'd just get ruined," she declined, "It would be a waste"

"Take this one anyway," he mused, letting go of her as Anja returned with a new set of things.

By the time they had packed an entire extra suitcase full of things, she couldn't wait to sit on the plane and take a break. Quinn had been wise to nap on the sofa while they were at it and Rashel was jealous that he'd gotten off easy today. She had to remind herself that despite the two made vampires being active during the day, their first instinct was to sleep and to be up during the night.

Despite this, nobody seemed to lack energy apart from her and the only breather she got before they departed again was to chug down a glass of water. Back in the car, she found herself thanking the vampire. Even though she hadn't particularly liked it, she appreciated the insane amounts of clothing she'd received. "I'll pay you back for them"

"I would have given them away anyway. They're all things I never get around to wearing anymore. Fashion moves too quickly to go back to old collections"

She blinked at the sheer lack of value Anja bestowed on all the things she'd given away. Then she laughed quietly, "I probably owe you an apology too"

The girl's hazel eyes flicked upwards to meet hers in the rear view mirror. They were questioning. Rashel took a deep breath, hoping she'd understand that she meant the words. "I have trouble trusting people. I know I shouldn't have been as brash as I was to you. I'm sorry"

The confusion had slipped away and was replaced by surprise. In the silence, Rashel knew that her apology had been accepted. Even Quinn who sat beside Anja half-turned to blink appreciatively at his soulmate.

Rashel leaned back against the leather seat. "I don't give good first impressions" she shrugged and settled on watching the scenery flash by again. Nonetheless, the atmosphere in the car was somehow more amiable than before and she felt more comfortable as they sped through New York.

The airport was bursting at the seams when it came to parking. They were wedged in between masses of taxis and a huge Chevrolet behind them. However, the vampire steered away from the general parking and finally slipped on a side road that led right past the main entrance and around the back of the complex.

"We're meeting the others at the plane," she explained at Rashel's inquiry as she twisted back to look for the signs indicating where terminal parking was.

"And the security issues?" Quinn looked doubtful as well.

The younger vampire smiled graciously at him, "When I have a powerful telepath with me? I don't think so. They should have been taken care of already. They're expecting us"

Indeed, the men let them pass without so much as a show of ID. Rashel was impressed by the level of infiltration that Daybreak had, even in one of the largest airports around. It just proved again how the Night World had control wherever they chose. Humans were really unaware of the power that they had. At this point in time, they simply chose not to use their capabilities to control the entire world.

The plane was quite far out on the field, a lonely little thing but as they pulled up beside it, Rashel could see that despite its size, this was a quality machine. Not an aircraft used by cheap companies who offered flights at low prices. The engines were off and it looked, for all purposes, quite deserted.

"You said they're expecting us?" she asked.

"We're running a little late. Wait here," the vampire replied and stepped out of the car, walking over to the plane.

A minute passed, then the door opened and stairs descended. They exchanged a glance before stepping out and grabbing their luggage from the back. Their guide had gone into the plane but as they approached, she met them at the base of the stairs, giving them both a nod of departure.

"See you sometime then," she said and gave Rashel a brief hug. It wasn't overly personal but there was a semblance of respect there that had the human returning the gesture. Quinn received a kiss on the cheek and then, with a last wink, she headed back to her car.

So this was it. The irrevocable step to a new start in their lives. Both of them felt it, a strange energy filling them as they looked up the stairway. Rashel moved first, the handle of the suitcase biting into her hand and her heart beating powerfully. Quinn was right behind her and she could sense his anticipation as much as her own. The threshold seemed an eternity away, everything had a surreal atmosphere even though the roar of planes around her and the commotion proved this was very much reality.

She mounted the top, ducked through the entrance of the cabin and paused as soon as she laid eyes on them. They were two young men lounging in the dozen spacious seats lining the inside. Quinn emerged behind her and reacted just the same, eyeing the two Daybreak agents as soon as he set eyes on them.

Then she felt his mind fill with disbelief, utter shock even.

"Ash Redfern," he stated the name coldly, emotionlessly despite the inner turmoil she sensed from him. She had the sinking feeling that the name was prophesising nothing good.

The one with his back to them who had not yet granted them his attention, stiffened and slowly turned around. She immediately imprinted the face into her memory, the bad-boy handsome features, the ash blond her falling into his face, the mischievous eyes that shifted colour as she focused on them. A Redfern. That meant he was Hunter's relation. She wracked her brain to remember whether Quinn had mentioned him to her before.

Said vampire stood up now, his tall, lanky frame filling the aisle as she stared at Quinn with equal coolness. His voice was incredulous, despite his attitude, "Are you kidding me?"

"I should ask you," Quinn bit back, making a move to advance on the blond but Rashel gripped his wrist firmly. She would not have him destroy their opportunity before she'd even understood the situation. She clearly saw Ash's eyes drop to her hand wrapped around Quinn's arm, his expression morphing into something disbelieving, but then she'd already addressed him directly.

"You're a Redfern? Then what are you doing here?"

The vampire looked pleased that she'd taken full notice of him too. He flashed her a lazy smile. "Being a Good Samaritan, like everyone else"

"Ash, sit down," the other man growled behind him, rising out of his chair as well, "We're not going to get anywhere if you do the talking"

He was clearly the older one, at least in physical age. He shouldered his way past the blond and extended his hand to Rashel, who took it firmly. A moment of eye contact and she saw the telltale signs of werewolf in him. If the animalistic brown eyes weren't enough to go on, he had a strong jaw and deeply tanned skin. It didn't take much to imagine this one turning into a wolf. His handshake wasn't threatening though and he gave her an encouraging smile before he greeted Quinn in the same manner.

Her soulmate hadn't stopped glaring at Ash who remained standing with his hands in his pockets and chuckling to himself. Rashel caught his eyes, now a light blue, and noted the sheer amusement in them.

The wolf was talking again, picking up the suitcase she'd dropped and carrying it to the nearest seat. "I'm Connor. That one is Ash, although, I guess you know each other already?" Quinn nodded grimly while Rashel shook her head. The wolf quirked an eyebrow, "Whatever happened in the past, we're on the same side here. Daybreak exists for peace so if there's going to be a problem with you two in here, tell me now"

Rashel observed the alpha male stance he stood in as he addressed the two vampires and had no doubt that if there was an issue, this wolf would be sure to take care of it. All muscle and seriousness, he seemed to be running this expedition. Even his vampire companion respected that.

"No problem," Ash said, "We've just got catching up to do"

The wolf looked back and forth between the two for a moment, then over at Rashel who remained beside Quinn. She gave him a determined nod. He gave Ash another gruff order to behave himself, which only resulted in an eye-roll, then strode past the newcomers to the pilot's cabin at the front.

Rashel took a seat on the opposite side of the guys' seats and placed her bag of weaponry on the floor slowly, making sure not to draw attention to the fact that there were heavy, dangerous objects inside. Quinn finally came out of his stupor and imitated her movements, lowering himself into a seat without ever letting his awareness of Ash drop. They were sizing each other up like they couldn't wait to pounce on another. Whether this was just testosterone-fuelled rivalry or something more significant, it was going to bother her if she didn't get some answers. All these characters from Quinn's life seemed to be popping up and it was getting irritating to not know any of them or their history.

"You know each other?" she probed. If this tension between the two vampires was going to persist, she at least wanted to know what their relationship was.

"Everyone in the Redfern family knows each other some way or another," Ash explained, gracing her with a smirk, "Quinn and I go way back"

"Considering I've got four hundred years on you, no, we don't go way back," Quinn commented, sarcasm leaking through every word. "What are you really doing here? There's nothing you can gain from being in a circle dedicated to bringing together the Night and Day world"

"Last time I checked, you didn't even know the meaning of peace. Weren't you plotting with Hunter to get rid of humankind and take over the world?" the blond sneered.

Quinn didn't reply to that. He evaded the question altogether and countered with his own, "Says the lamia who turns on his own relatives"

That had him pausing and he ran a hand over the seat in a way that suggested discomfort. He cleared his throat. "You haven't been up to date on me since the summer. There have been some, well, a lot of changes"

"You grew a conscience?" Quinn suggested.

"Let's just say there was more to the Briar Creek story than I told you," Ash replied, a wistful look growing in his eyes, "I might have edited parts I didn't need you to tell the family"

It took a moment of silence for the subtext to sink in. Rashel clicked first. The obvious answer sat right under her nose. She had no idea what the Briar Creek story involved but there was only one reason why a vampire, a Redfern no less, would desperately want to conceal something. "You found a human soulmate, didn't you?"

There was a drawn out pause. "Like you obviously," he motioned to the both of them.

Rashel could only begin to imagine the circumstances under which this vampire must have met his own soulmate. If it was in any way as insane as their road to accepting their fate had been, she felt just the tiniest bit sorry for him. And to have to hide the truth from Quinn, the person he'd been before, must have cost him a lot of carefully constructed lies.

Connor returned from the cockpit, evidently glad that the two vampires were not clawing each other's eyes out yet, and began to close up the door. Rashel could hear the engines being started, felt the rumble in the floor of the plane. The wolf dropped back into his seat, crossing his ankles under the table that separated him and Ash and looked around the room expectantly.

"We'll be in the air around five hours," he explained, mostly to Rashel, "If you want to catch up on some sleep, there's a couch in the back"

She shook her head, "I don't think I can. And we have a lot of questions we want to ask"

"Unsurprisingly. They can wait though. You'll be briefed when we reach Vegas. Thierry is at the headquarters and he's expressed a lot of curiosity in meeting the both of you. He's better at answering all your questions than me. I just transferred to the main place from Michigan, there's not much I can tell you. I'm sure there will be a big gathering where everything will get explained"

"They will simply let us walk in without proving ourselves loyal? What if we were traitors or spies?" Quinn speculated. He kept his dark eyes fixed on Connor who didn't look fazed at the prospect.

"There are protection spells around the place. If you were truly spies, you would have to pass a couple of witches and vampire telepaths before you're allowed inside. We have very good security. It's a Night World Lord's residence after all," he looked them both in the eye, "And if you were traitors, I'd assume you'd want to kill us anyway. It wouldn't be smart of you to warn me of it."

"I'll hand over my weapons if that proves anything," Rashel offered, picking up her bag and holding it out to the two agents. She neglected to mention she had a knife remaining in her boot, but that was irrelevant. It wasn't like she would use it on them. It was just for her peace of mind.

The wolf furrowed his brow at her but reached for the pack anyway, zipping it open to reveal the contents. Ash leaned over to get a better look and grew visibly surprised at the multitude of items he saw. "Damn it Quinn! What do you need those for?" he exclaimed.

Rashel resisted the urge to laugh at his exasperation. She debated withholding the truth and letting Quinn struggle to find a good explanation but decided against it. The time for hiding identities was over. If they were going to be part of Daybreak, she needed to come clean.

"They're mine," she corrected him, leaning against the leather with a coy expression. Ash's face shifting into complete disbelief was worth it. Even Connor appeared impressed, gazing at her with newfound respect as he deposited the bag at his feet. "I'm…I used to be a vampire hunter"

Tense silence. Only Quinn looked pleased at the reactions they were getting from that announcement. She was about to justify her carrying around the things if she was no longer hunting but Ash beat her to it. His shock was subsiding and instead he looked at Quinn with an openly suggestive grin.

"Don't tell me, she's got wooden handcuffs in there too, doesn't she?"


	8. Introduction

_Day 3, 18:15, New York_

It had been a borderline uncomfortable atmosphere until Ash's little suggestion about the cuffs had broken through. Rashel was unimpressed by the pun but Quinn looked as though he was suppressing the urge to strangle the lamia.

Connor just snorted and wordlessly placed the bag under the seat, tossing a careful look at her. She shrugged to show him she didn't mind. Of course she did but if they wanted trust from these people, she supposed they had to act as placid as possible. As long as they didn't use her things against her she could handle it.

It was actually surprising how easily they'd been let in anyway. She'd expected some kind of test or even restraints to be put on them. This open-minded approach of the two agents was startlingly casual. If this was the way Daybreak functioned, she wouldn't doubt the existence of double-agents or spies in the organization. These guys really didn't seem know much about either of their reputations. Especially Quinn should be notorious amongst Night people and yet nobody seemed to care about that.

Well, exempting the blonde one.

She snuck glances at him as they took off, leaving New York beneath them in its growing web of lights and noises. He was lounging back in his place, still looking pleased as punch about riling up the made vampire.

For some reason, to her, the fact that he was a Redfern made him great spy material. She had no illusions about the possibility that Hunter would try to station his own relatives in positions of intelligence. Everybody in the Night World knew the rumours about the existence of Daybreak. It was how to get in undercover that was the issue.

This vampire had just enough arrogance, charm and wit to hide his intelligence. The way he'd reacted to Quinn also indicated he knew a whole lot about people connected to the Redferns. She was pretty sure he was the kind of guy that was aware of everything happening around but never indicated interest unless he needed to play that trump card.

But he'd found a soulmate. She wondered if that had changed him as fundamentally as it had Quinn. In that case, how on earth had he been before? He didn't have a reputation she knew of but judging from the look on her soulmate's face, he wasn't innocent either. What kind of a person would fate have picked out for him? Hopefully one that could handle the attitude.

He caught her eye at that moment and she looked at him squarely, watching the iris change from leaf green to aqua as he grinned. She hadn't seen that kind of chameleon trait in a vampire before and she stared quite openly. He took note of the curiosity. "You're probably dying to know about me"

"Not really. Redfern says enough for me," she deadpanned, "Just wondering how someone like you would end up working for unity with humans"

He didn't lose the cheekiness. "My story's not a big deal. I think you're making far better headlines. Something along the lines of 'Vampire hunter and Redfern heir, explosive soulmate fiasco'. Pretty catchy. Just didn't think you'd turn to Daybreak, with Quinn being such a control freak"

She raised an eyebrow, overlooking the last jibe. "Does everybody know about the enclave by now?"

"The news made the rounds as soon as Hunter contacted Lord Thierry. Daybreak is quite effective at spreading that kind of information. We only heard yesterday because we were in the air half the time," Connor nodded.

"How come we were so high up on the priority list?" she probed, "All of this just happened three days ago. I thought your circle was about keeping the peace and we're about as far from that as can get. More of a risk to take us in actually, with people on our backs"

"Sometimes keeping the peace needs a bit of force to make it happen," the werewolf replied sincerely, nudging her bag of supplies with his heel, "And from what I can see you're more than equipped to use it. It's about the bigger picture. The Circle started with witches but when other species started joining, the methods changed too. The Night World Council isn't hesitant about killing our people anymore so we've got to defend ourselves"

"Basically the nice way of saying, they throw a punch, you stab them back," Quinn finished for him.

Ash grinned fiercely at the statement but Connor returned to a more serious tone, focusing on Rashel, "And about you two – I don't know the details but what I can tell you is that Thierry takes personal interest in cases like yours. When people cause a stir in the Night World and lose their place, he likes to offer help and protection if they are willing. I think you'll soon realize what fame you have amongst the Daybreakers"

"Fame?" she repeated, aghast at the idea, "That's ridiculous" Just the mere thought of people grovelling for her attention, complimenting her all the time, was terrible. Through the bond, she could also feel Quinn's internal groan at the notion.

"You roasted a fair number of ancient made vampires, burned down an enclave and ruffled Hunter's feathers," Ash drawled, "That gets you respect"

"Where exactly are we headed?" Quinn asked, steering away from the topic.

"The airport," Ash quipped, resulting in a pointed glare. He chuckled, adding, "If we'd tell you the address it wouldn't exactly be a safe house"

"I'm assuming it's not a bunker," he directed the statement at the werewolf instead of Ash but the blond vampire did not let up.

"The Lord of the Night World living in an underground box? Seriously?"

Quinn fixed him with deadly black eyes and they remained locked on the lamia's for several seconds. It was Ash that let up, dropping his eyes back to his knees casually but Rashel knew her soulmate had won this one.

The conversation dwindled after that, leaving the four of them in an awkwardly tense silence. Connor pulled out a laptop to work on, Ash wandered towards the back and flopped down on the couch and they were left pretty much to themselves.

She reached through their bond at some point when she found she could no longer read her paperback without her thoughts drifting off.

_Who is he really?_

The responding sigh in his mind was tired. He wasn't happy being in the lamia's presence. _He's a cousin of sorts. I saw him mostly last year during gatherings. The last time we met was the summer when he went to some hick town to check on his sisters. I suspected they'd fled an enclave but he insisted it was just visiting a relative. End of the week, he presented me his staked great-aunt who committed treachery and a rogue werewolf he'd killed. That was the end of the story and we went different ways. _

_He actually showed you the bodies?_

_I didn't think he had it in him either. Ash was always big words but no action. _

_He's young, _she noted, turning her head to observe the snoozing lamia on the leather sofa. _The big mouth just comes with the Redfern name I guess._

_Good thing I never got the title._

She flashed him a smile, pulling her legs up onto her seat to get more comfortable. These private jets really had extremely big chairs. For someone who'd flown once in her life, this was really over the top.

_You don't know about a soulmate?_

He shook his head subtly. _I give him credit for hiding her well. Also getting involved in Daybreak without alerting half the world. But he was always a good liar. People don't ask the Redferns many questions._

_Is he a good enough actor to be working for the other side?_

That got a smile out of him. _Paranoid as usual. Just because he's lamia doesn't mean he is born with abilities that let him outsmart vampires that have hundreds of years on him. I don't think he'd fool somebody as old as Thierry Descoudres. _

She scoffed but let a smile spread over her face as she saw his amusement. The prospect had obviously not occurred to him before. She immediately found her tension lifting slightly as she felt his certainty. She felt tempted to reach over to get physical reassurance too but the presence of the other two people stopped her. She couldn't bring herself to cross that line of professional to intimate with these strangers around.

She leaned her head against the leather. _Even if the decision ends up being a mistake, thanks for doing this. _

_Whose idea was it again?_

_Mine. But you had the connections to make it happen. _She let her eyes fall shut, relishing in the softness of the chair. Despite her reservations about letting her guard down, she could feel herself slipping off into slumber. She had the solid presence of Quinn in her mind and for some reason that alone was enough.

_Rashel… _She cracked an eye open to find him looking out at the darkened sky again. _Stop worrying._

She just rolled her eyes, curled up and let sleep take her.

Quinn watched her for a while until she was well unconscious, her features growing slack as she slid deeper into the seat. Then he leaned over to the werewolf who was typing away in the adjacent aisle.

"Is there any food on board?"

The wolf stilled for a moment, then indicated towards the back of the cabin. "We have a small fridge. Ash might have stocked it"

With deliberately careful movements, Quinn rose, sidestepped his soulmate and headed in that direction. Ash was on his side, eyes closed and lanky body draped over the sofa in a way that told the trained eye he clearly wasn't asleep. The made vampire couldn't help but smirk to himself as passed, wondering why exactly the blond had chosen this path. It sure didn't look like he belonged here any more than he and Rashel did right now.

He walked into the small kitchenette, located the mini-fridge and wasn't surprised to find a selection of blood bags scattered inside. Ash hadn't changed in that respect at least. Always ensuring his urges were met.

He selected one at random, tore open the top and bunched the plastic in his fist as he drank its contents. He couldn't tell why exactly he'd waited till Rashel was asleep until satisfying himself. Maybe to escape the expectant look she'd give, maybe just to pretend he was making more of an effort than he was. He would try changing his diet when he was certain he could last on it. While they were travelling, he didn't even let that option cross his mind. Then again, this was just his way of denying that he'd rather stand in the sunlight all day than give up human blood.

He chucked the empty bag in the trash before starting on a second one. The fact that it was refrigerated made it less potent but he drank without letting up anyway. By the time he was finished he looked over his shoulder to see the blond hovering in the corridor with raised eyebrows.

"Don't look surprised. There's enough for two," he said, dropping the bag and licking the last drops off his fingers.

"Didn't say you could help yourself to my supply"

"I didn't want to wake you," Quinn smirked knowingly, leaning against the tiny counter. "Or expose you in front of your friend. Here I was thinking you despised werewolves"

"Fact of the day for you," Ash shrugged, extracting a glass from a cupboard and pouring himself a gin tonic, "People can change their minds"

"Where is she then? The girl that made you change your mind about life," the dark-haired vampire crossed his arms, "Human?"

"Yeah," the blonde stared into his glass for a long time before muttering softly, "Briar Creek, last summer. She's with my sisters"

He didn't see that one coming. He racked his mind for anything off about Ash at that point in time about from his usual snarky comments. Maybe he'd been too distracted by his own disbelief at the sight of two disfigured corpses that had come from Ash's doing.

"What?"

Ash's thoughts had gone along the same lines. He smiled wryly. "I knew you didn't notice anything. You only had eyes for a charred werewolf," he gulped down a portion of his drink, his eye colour shifting rapidly at the memories, "She was just some girl at first until it turned out my sisters had done a blood bond with her and her brother. They already knew everything, they'd told them about the Night World. I was debating whether to kill them but we accidentally made the connection and, well, you know, bam, fireworks, world turns upside down"

Quinn nodded fractionally. That feeling he knew now.

"I think I even know why it's her. She's everything I'm not. She made me think differently," Ash added, looking at the ceiling wistfully. When he didn't receive a reply he downed the rest and slowly grinned over at Quinn, "She's hot too"

There was the Ash he'd known.

"I'm sure," he replied, "And why aren't you there?"

"I've got to put some things right before we can be together," Ash shrugged, "Make some amends. It's all about putting in the effort for love with her"

He blinked. "I didn't think I'd hear that word from your mouth"

"Didn't think I'd see you turn up here with a girl that would stake you if she wasn't your soulmate," the lamia sniped back, nodding towards the other end of the cabin, "And turning on Hunter…that's extreme"

"He lived," Quinn shrugged.

"Come on. Where did you find her?"

"Boston. She found me. Tried to kill me," he replied, dropping his voice, "We met again when she went undercover to get to the enclave off the coast. There was going to be a blood feast," Ash let out a soft whistle of surprise, "She found out, let herself be captured and freed the humans we'd collected for the occasion. By the time I made the connection and stepped in, I realized that she was the same person"

"And out of newfound love, you spontaneously decided to kill the rest of the party?" Ash looked sceptical.

Quinn kept his features purposely blank. "No. I decided to change her"

Now it was the other's turn to sport a look of surprise. "Wow. You _are_ insane. She's a vampire hunter." Quinn was just about to retort something when he added, "I thought about it too. Changing mine. We started but never went all the way…there were a lot of crazy things going on"

Both of them exchanged a look. It was a moment in which both of them could feel the mental ice breaking. Then Ash chuckled, shaking his head. "I never thought I'd be talking to you like a civil person"

"Never," Quinn agreed, a smirk dancing around his lips too.

"You'll be surprised when we get there. It's a whole lot different from what I imagined. And Descoudres…the guy is like a split personality. You wouldn't think he's the oldest vampire when you talk to him as a Daybreaker"

"I was wondering who would let you join"

The blond pretended to be genuinely contemplative before snapping his fingers with a grin, "Charm and contacts. Maybe you should try being less of an asshole. Works wonders"

Impressive, how it hadn't taken two minutes for him to return to the obnoxious personality he couldn't share a room with for longer than necessary. Their moment of mutuality was definitely over. Quinn didn't even bother with an answer, simply stepping past him and returning to his seat. Connor glanced at him as though to say he knew exactly how much patience it took to put up with the blond sometimes, then Quinn was left in peace to watch the darkness pass by.

He couldn't help glancing at Rashel every now and again, the cramped position she was in and noting how she'd probably purposely refused the sofa earlier so she couldn't get fully comfortable. It was admirable, the way she did these things in order to be prepared for attack at any possible moment. He hadn't missed her slipping a knife into her boot when they were waiting in the car.

These last few days, he'd been just as much on the run from the consequences of the Equinox as from himself. He had no idea what he was doing, where all of this was going, just as much as Rashel. He kept the cool only because he'd had centuries of practice and was informed about how to handle sticky situations in a way that turned out positive for him. That wasn't what he was afraid of.

She'd summed it up perfectly on that first night in the motel. She was scared of caring for him. He'd come to realize he was much the same. It was the lack of control he had over her fate that made him edgy and kept him stuck on his old ways. Hanging onto his old personality seemed a good mechanism to protect them both when this new, inexperienced side of him that allowed emotions could not.

He was minutely envious of Ash in that respect. The lamia had the benefit of distancing himself from his soulmate to sort himself out, knowing she was safe. He hadn't been given that time. He supposed that was fate's way of jumpstarting his life after four centuries of cold indifference.

His comment had also drawn Quinn's mind to the physical side of things again. Rashel was beautiful, no doubt, a person that seemed to combine just the perfect balance of gentle and tough. He wouldn't call her hot. Maybe he was old-fashioned but it also seemed too plain a term for what she meant to him.

He caught himself before his stream of conscious got entirely too sappy.

He secretly hoped other people suffered the same drop into the abyss of irrational affectionate thoughts when finding their soulmate. This was so different from how he used to be that it freaked him out more than the prospect of having to face Thierry Descoudres and possibly relay the entire story to him as well.

Eventually Ash returned to his seat and the remaining three hours of flight passed exceptionally quickly as they sat in silence, only the rumble of the engine providing distraction. Rashel woke when they experienced some turbulence during the approach of the Vegas airport.

She looked initially shocked that she'd slept at all until he gave her a reassuring look and she returned a reluctant smile. The atmosphere rapidly filled with anticipation again and he noticed her stand a little more stiffly when Connor took her weapon filled bag along with his luggage.

It didn't take longer than half an hour for them to land and depart the aircraft in a remote corner of the airport. There were a surprisingly large number of planes here in the private area but then again, the outrageously rich and famous spent their time in Vegas, probably using their personal transport. It was possibly even brighter here than in New York with all its activity.

Connor was speaking into a cell phone as they marched across the tarmac, drawing long shadows behind them. He kept directing them every now and again as he received a precise location from the caller. They found the dark car sitting behind a hanger near the very edge of the airport property, lights off and looking quite abandoned.

Quinn raised an eyebrow at the secrecy of it compared to the pompous private jet but said nothing. A man got out of the vehicle, all black suit and composed expression, to open the back for their bags. He had a sense of déjà vu watching the guy. He knew he'd seen him before but it must have been a minor meeting. He didn't have a name to put with the face.

The werewolf conversed quietly with the nameless man as they got in, Rashel squeezed into the centre between Quinn and Ash. He caught her giving the blond a look that distinctly reminded him to keep his hands to himself. He almost laughed. Her instincts concerning Ash's character were dead-on. Not that the blond looked as though he would be making any moves anytime, judging by the way he slid to one side at her silent threat.

Connor twisted around to the three of them as the driver pulled away from the hiding spot. "Everyone alright?"

"Sure," Quinn said, "Are there any introductions?"

The werewolf nodded towards the silent man behind the wheel. "This is Nilsson. He's the main administrator at the place we're heading to. I reckon he knows who you two are"

"I'd say it's a pleasure to see you again but the last time we met your conduct was not impressive towards my staff and I," Nilsson remarked dryly but perfectly polite from from the driver's seat. So they had stumbled across each other. Quinn cocked his head, looking at the back of the man's head as though that would trigger the memory.

"I don't recall that," he settled on saying.

"Surely not. It was some years ago in Los Angeles, New Year's evening. You were quite occupied demanding a blood source more to your liking"

Ash laughed softly at the statement. Quinn looked back and forth between the two of them, getting the vibe that he was being mocked but for the life of him he couldn't remember this. Rashel had turned to face him, inquiry in her eyes but he didn't respond to it. Connor was busy, making another call and not paying particular attention.

His soulmate cleared her throat to break the uncertainty, "Thanks for taking us"

"It's my job. Lord Thierry is most happy that you have made the decision to come at such short notice," his tone was much warmer towards her, "It's been a while since we had people with such reputation join the ranks"

"You could say the decision was made for us," she replied good-naturedly, mentally adding to Quinn, _I'm still not sure the oldest made vampire is going to welcome us with open arms after killing his colleagues in the East._

_Apparently I also made a bad impression. _

_This is going to be interesting. _She let out a breath beside him, looking out the windshield. Quinn followed her example, checking their surroundings as they drove through Vegas outskirts.

The people out on the road slowly diminished as they drove further into the suburbs, passing houses that grew larger and larger the further they went. Then Nilsson pulled into a drive way and Quinn caught sight of the dimly lit grounds of a mansion that he had definitely not entered before.

It was quite the place, palm trees and a fountain included in the drive way and looking lifeless to any innocent visitor. He didn't miss the flash of barely visible figures in black patrolling the perimeter as they moved up the sandstone path towards the house.

Up close, he saw the telltale signs of Night World in the construction. The design was well thought out so the subtly included black rose above the door barely stood out at unusual. Neither did the black flowers planted around the front of the house unless one had the eye to notice.

When they stepped out of the car and Nilsson unpacked the back, he could feel Rashel freeze beside him as she took everything in. Less awed by its magnificence but checking the security just as he did. _It screams Night World, _she noted silently.

_I'm guessing it's supposed to. Safer to play the dark side than fly a daybreak flag when you're a Night Lord. _

They followed the Daybreakers up to the house and Quinn was impressed by the efficiency of the system. He guessed because they'd entered with the authorized agents there were no spells to keep them out.

A receptionist, very much human, signed the agents in and regarded them with a polite smile and ushered them to the waiting room. Nilsson excused himself, departing in a different direction while they were put in a small but comfortable room stocked with leather sofas and a coffee table. It all looked like a fancy doctor's clinic without the sterile atmosphere.

Quinn made himself comfortable and Rashel reluctantly sat down too with a sensible distance between them. He found he preferred it this way as well. While they represented a team, the lack of attachment would let focus on what lay ahead. They had yet to see any other soulmates in this place.

Connor was called out fairly quickly and he left them with a firm nod, closing the door behind him. Ash had stretched out over an entire sofa, his feet dangling off the edge, hands behind his head. "I hate these procedures. Individual debriefing is apparently more reliable. What are they expecting? That we go off and party when we've got a mission to complete?"

"It's for security, idiot," Quinn said.

"We did individual briefing with every hunter in Boston," Rashel added absent-mindedly, looking around the room, "You can never be too careful who you let through"

"Oh yeah? Let me guess, you probably had a password as well," Ash joked.

"Multiple. Codes, passwords, signs. Couldn't have vampires use mind control to find out how to locate us," she gave him a pointed look, "You've got to be careful who you trust"

"How did you want to make her into a vampire? She would have outshone you with the I-don't-trust-the-world attitude," the lamia questioned Quinn, who just blinked back at him but let the subject rest. Ash chuckled at them, muttering something about how they really were meant for each other. Minutes passed before he was called out and he left them with a wink and thumbs up.

He could feel Rashel's gaze on him. "How much did you tell him while I was out?"

"Just the basics. We shared how-we-met stories," Quinn stood, began pacing languidly around the place, "He said he tried to change his too"

That changed her demeanour even though she didn't let it show in her posture. Her voice had a determinedly casual tone as she inquired, "And?"

"They didn't. Apparently the situation wasn't the best and they didn't go on with it," he explained.

"Would you still want to change me if I wanted to?"

He paused opposite a large painting. It was a bland landscape, faded pastel colours blending into each other with minimum detail in the strokes. Nothing he'd ever want to purchase even if he was an art appreciator. He stared right through it as he considered her question.

"I know you won't"

"That's not what I'm asking," she corrected. He glanced over his shoulder to see her twisted around in her seat, cat-eyes watching him, calculating, "Would you want me to be a vampire if I let you turn me, Quinn?"

"No"

She smiled then. It was genuine and probably the best moment of his day so far because he could see the love in her gaze. "That's good. I don't think I'd want you as a human either"

That got him smiling too and he crossed the room to brush his lips against hers briefly. It was only a moment because he knew if he prolonged the kiss, he would not stop despite the environment they were in right now. They both resumed their positions apart and he tried to keep his thoughts collected and not drift into the inappropriate. He had absolutely no room for this kind of frustration at this point in time. Rashel did not make it easier for him because she chose to wander the room as well, catching his eye every so often as they slowly circled the enclosed space.

They both froze as the door opened and the girl that had collected the other two poked her head inside. Quinn took the moment to look at the properly for the first time. Werewolf, quite young, he guessed around sixteen, with a deep tan and silvery russet hair that hung in loose tangles. "It's your turn. Both of you"

Rashel was putting on her professional blank expression and he mirrored the nondescript look as they followed the girl until she indicated a door and stepped aside.

The new room was a spacious office, occupied with shelves filled to the brim, slanted chairs and office equipment. A desk stood in the dead centre of the room, just in front of a wall that was entirely window glass. The man behind it watched them with a pleasant smile as they entered and the door was closed.

Quinn had seen him before, conversed in fleeting moments with the man who was a borderline celebrity amongst the Council members. Sitting here with such an absence of power was a completely different image to the one he presented at vampire gatherings. Ash was right. This man, despite looking entirely honest, must have some form of split personality where he channelled his humanity into Circle Daybreak and showed the face of the vampire to the rest of the world.

They stood beside another, not making any contact, waiting for Thierry to make the first move. He surprised them by rising from his seat and gesturing widely at the chairs in front of the table. "Please, don't feel you have to stand. Make yourself comfortable"

His voice had a soothing quality that Quinn realized was laced with an undertone of resigned sadness. There was calmness in the vampire that obviously stemmed from wisdom he'd had roughly a millennium to acquire. He wondered if he'd ever live as long as this man had.

"I'd rather stand, thank you," Rashel said in that moment, cutting his thoughts short. The tone she used was one he recognized from when she'd used it on the island. Clear, firm and with full self-awareness. He suppressed a smile at her resilience and nodded at Thierry, to signal he supported her on this point.

The comment seemed to have been expected because the blond vampire just smiled softly and rounded the desk to lean against the front of it. It was a deliberate gesture, removing the barrier between them and putting them on a more familiar level.

"I'm glad you made it here unscathed. I'd had much worse scenarios in mind after hearing about the kind of threats you would be facing," he began, giving each of them a respectful nod in turn, "I believe from what the agents told you, you're informed on what we know about your situation"

"Not much," Quinn replied, "I'm sure you want details on what exactly happened on the enclave"

"If you feel it is private there is no pressure to tell me anything. However, from what we gather, there is a much bigger force behind that gathering you interrupted? I'd appreciate anything you can add to our knowledge"

"We have questions too," Rashel broke in, not rudely but with a presence that had Quinn feeling exceptionally proud of her fearlessness, "We'd like to get some answers before we tell you anything"

"Are you sure you don't want to have a seat? This might take a while," Thierry repeated his offer, "I'd also feel better not having wait for you to pounce on me"

Knowing he could not be the one in question, Quinn sneaked a look at Rashel. Although she was narrowing her eyes at the made vampire, she ducked her head a little in embarrassment. "You read my thoughts?"

"No. It's not hard to guess. If I was a vampire hunter I surely wouldn't be able to suppress the urge either when faced with somebody as notorious"

Both of them stared at the man who was still smiling placidly as he took a seat behind the desk again. Rashel sighed eventually and moved to take a seat. Quinn followed suite, settling down into the chair beside her. She was still eyeing the ancient vampire as she responded, "I'm sorry. You're the first one I've met who is so…so…"

"Atypical," Quinn finished.

The man's eyes actually sparkled with amusement. "I do get told a lot. I'm sure I appear unnaturally civilised to you with all the types of vampires you must have encountered. And you," he addressed Quinn, "know me as a different person"

Both of them nodded in silence.

"I've had a lot of time to decide what kind of person I want to be. Finding my soulmate was part of that journey. Ever since I took Daybreak under my wing you might say I've found myself with two roles to play. But if you'll take my word for it, this is my true face"

"How has no Council member discovered her yet?" Quinn asked.

The sadness he'd picked up on in the man's aura became visible in his eyes. "She's not with me. She appears every now and again. She doesn't have much time."

Neither of them knew how to reply to that or whether a word of consolation was appropriate. There was a beat of silence until Rashel picked up the conversation again. "So what exactly do you do here? How does Daybreak work? All I'd heard about it so far, or all I chose to believe I guess, is that you try to make Night and Day world live in harmony"

"And take in soulmates who run into trouble," Quinn finished.

"The Circle consists of anybody who wants to support what we stand for. Originally we wanted to unite the two worlds and promote peace between the two. It's only been in recent years that the emergence of soulmates all over the world have led us to expand and become a place for them to seek refuge as well. Like you, they find they cannot carry on when one or both people in the bond are in grave danger for breaking Night World law. We have bases mainly across the continent but there are more out there. We have become a mixture of intelligence and protective service. But yes, harmony between the races is essentially our goal"

"You know that will never happen right?" Rashel replied, "Not to offend your cause but it's impossible. Especially with people like Hunter Redfern around"

Thierry nodded, "It will be decided soon. The Millennium is approaching and with it, the fate of humankind will be decided"

"What are you talking about?" Rashel glanced at Quinn who looked intrigued but turned to explain it to her.

"The Millennium is a rumour amongst the Night people. There are legends involved that there have been times for each species to rule the world. First it was the shapeshifters, then the witches, then vampires and the last ten thousand years, humans have ruled the world, forcing the Night World into secrecy. That time is almost over, the Council believes that there are forces upsetting the balance, that it's time for another change. Floods, earthquakes, things like that, are meant to be the symbols that darkness is coming. For those who believe in the stories"

"Seriously? People listen to that? Where's the proof?" Rashel looked at the Daybreak leader.

Thierry looked dead serious, "The rumours are true. Most importantly, there is a prophecy that is part of these legends. It predicts that the Millennium and its effects can only be prevented from destroying the world as we know it by four Wild Powers standing together against the darkness. This is where Daybreak has become so active recently. We believe the emergence of soulmate couples between our worlds is happening so frequently because the Wild Powers will reveal themselves. We are trying to find them, convince them to work together to save this world and preserve all our races. The Night World Council wants them dead. They see themselves as the darkness to come and that they are sure to triumph as rulers of the world"

As ridiculous as Quinn thought these stories to be, the more he considered it and what he'd noticed happening in his world, they made sense. The activity in the Council, the hushed talks in the meetings, constant mentioning of 'the time is coming'. All this secrecy Hunter had shrouded himself in, sending Quinn on trips to observe people he'd never heard of and locate ancient documents; it seemed to have a purpose now. He wondered if he'd really been too apathetic or simply not cared to know any details before.

Rashel still looked lost. "What are these Wild Powers? People?"

"They are four children who have been gifted with immense power that lies in their blood. They were born seventeen years ago. The prophecies tell us that they must all unite if darkness is to be stopped. It is their destiny to either fight for our survival or stand by the darkness. If even one is lost to the other side, we cannot win"

"And they could be anywhere?" she confirmed.

Thierry nodded gravely, "Which is why we appreciate all the help we can get in the search. You can be sure that the Night World Council is working just as vigorously to find them"

"One of your members said you'd be willing to take us in on a give and take basis. We tell you what we know and you keep us hidden from the Council," Quinn stated, "Is that true?"

That seemed to be exactly what the made vampire had wanted to hear. He gave them both a grateful smile. "I'd be more than glad to have you with us. As long as you stay here, there is maximum protection. In return, I would ask that you, with your expertise, undertake missions for the Circle"

"What kind of work would that be?" Rashel questioned.

"Scouting, observation, infiltrating, escorting…there are quite a few things you'd probably be interested in. We do have offensive teams that we have been dispatching more and more recently. The Night World Council are growing increasingly violent now that time is running out"

Quinn looked over at his soulmate to find her already facing him, expression thoughtful. _I think we should do it. Maybe this prophecy stuff is a bit vague but if this is all he wants from us in exchange for protection…I mean that's what we came for._

_He's reasonable, _he agreed.

_Unless I got it all wrong and you're really more interested in just disappearing somewhere where no Night World thugs can find us?_

_I figured out what side I was on as soon as decided to go against Hunter._

They broke eye contact and both nodded at the vampire across the desk. Thierry positively beamed at them. He leaned forward onto the polished table surface, linking his hands. Quinn got the impression that the time to get down to business had just started.

"I understand you'd both like some rest, but in light of what I've just told you, it's important we do this now. I'd like to know exactly what happened three nights ago and who was involved"

"I'll start," Rashel offered, straightening in her seat.

It was an interesting experience for Quinn to listen to her describe in detail the moment she'd heard about the feast from that girl who'd escaped the first time and the way she'd manipulated her way into being chosen as a victim. He listened with peaked enthusiasm as she described his role in her being picked, mentioning how she had known him but he hadn't recognized her.

When it was his turn to reiterate the whole story, he looked Thierry straight in the eye when describing the agreement to sell twenty-four girls to an unknown host, looking for any sign of judgement. However, the man just listened patiently, scribbling down a note every so often.

Both he and Rashel skipped details of their experiences in the upstairs room and focused on the point where Hunter had entered the party with his confession of what his intentions were. They each described the fight from their point of view with Rashel emphasizing on Nyala's role and Timmy's appearance while Quinn reiterated the names of the vampires present.

By the time they'd explained their escape from the island and the burning house, the grandfather clock in the corner struck three in the morning. Thierry stood, shaking hands with each of them and thanking them for their effort.

"You are both quite remarkable for the actions you took that night. You most surely rescued twenty-three innocent lives and prevented another feast from being hosted anytime soon"

"Somebody had to," Rashel said just as Quinn replied, "It was necessary"

They both had to grin at that.

"I'll have somebody take you to your room," Thierry announced as they all walked towards the door, "Nilsson should be at the reception now, he will know. There is plenty of time for you to meet the rest of the crew tomorrow"

Quinn turned to the blond vampire with the dark, understanding eyes and after a moment of inner struggle he got the words out, "Thank you"

He hoped that he registered that the meaning of the expression went far deeper than the offer of bed and breakfast for them. Rashel too had paused and looked at her soulmate in admiration. She'd found early on just how stubborn he was to extend gratitude to anyone or even admit the need for help. Thierry evidently pieced that together too because he responded with a single, genuine remark.

"Welcome to Circle Daybreak"


	9. Soulmates

_Day 4, 9:08, Las Vegas_

When Rashel opened her eyes, she instantly became very aware of three important things.

Firstly, she was lying in a massive bed in the most expensively furnished room she'd seen in her life. Secondly, Quinn was beside her, all dark perfection against the ivory sheets, his body rising and falling with slow breaths. Thirdly, for the first time in these hectic days, she did not feel the need to grasp for her knife under the pillow and check the place. There was a sense of security in her she couldn't understand but enjoyed.

She watched the morning light squeeze through the sides of the heavy curtains, sending beams of light across the floor. Despite the luxury of this place, which she really could not get used to, it felt homely. She didn't actually feel the need to get up at all.

She rolled over leisurely, facing her soulmate and gradually drew a fingertip up his exposed arm. She felt his consciousness returning and the warmth of his emotions as he realized what she was doing. Bottomless onyx eyes looked at her as she continued her way up his shoulder until she reached the base of his neck.

"Hey," she whispered.

He blinked back at her. Then he reached over to pull her in for a kiss. She didn't even think of resisting, meeting his lips with equal passion as they embraced. After yesterday's tension, this was an absolute release.

She found herself being pressed into the pillows as he shifted his weight on top of her. Her hands buried himself in his hair of their own accord. She needed him closer, needed his ferocity and his strength and the love, which poured into her. Obviously he felt the same because he moulded his body to every inch of uncovered skin, sending lightening shocks running through their minds.

How on earth had she lived without this?

Her self-control was nothing when it came to him. Her head seemed to switch off entirely when they had physical contact like this. Without reservations, she slipped her hand under the hem of his shirt, lifting it away from his abdomen. Her hands touched heated skin, brushed over scars, feeling the muscles shiver at her motions.

He nipped at her earlobe, past her neck to place burning kisses along the strap of her top. She let him tug it off as she mirrored his movements, removing the thin T-shirt from his body. Then they were at each other again, tongues exploring and hands brushing across each other's bodies like they had been starved for it.

All nerve endings felt lit on fire as he dipped his head to her stomach, taking his time to alternative between kisses and soft bites, travelling upwards. She actually groaned at the loss of the sensation when he raised his head momentarily to look into her eyes.

If his eyes were endlessly black before, now they seemed ethereal with want as they locked with hers. There was a glaze in them she hadn't seen before but she found the sight addictive. Imperfections of any kind were swept away by that expression. Even the extended fangs she saw hidden behind his half-opened lips did nothing to quench her sudden thirst for him. There was no disgust, no fear.

She surprised herself by hooking her hands around his neck to pull him back down. There had been too many instances already where she'd had to draw back, this morning she wanted to change that. That overwhelming desire to be as near as possible to him had her tingling all over.

But this time he was the one that rolled off her first. She was just about to chastise him for the teasing when several knocks sounded on the door. She let her head fall back into the pillow. These distractions could really not be coincidence anymore.

The vampire did not bother recollecting his shirt as he crossed the room to open up. A new face appeared, which Rashel could just make out to be blond and male from where she was spread-eagled on the covers. The person said something to Quinn but from the distance, she couldn't hear details. Who designed such enormous rooms anyway? Sighing, she stepped out of bed in her bra and shorts, quickly tugging on her top again as she also approached the doorway.

It was Ash, grinning slyly as she leaned against the doorframe beside Quinn.

"Didn't disturb you did I?"

She gave him a bland look. "Where would you get that idea?" she deadpanned, raking a hand through her dishevelled hair, "What do you want?"

"Don't worry, I'm not here to join the fun. There's breakfast downstairs. Figured at least the human one might want something," he replied with a wink, "And I'll warn you now, there are some curious people who want to meet the newest additions"

"Great," Rashel said, suppressing a yawn.

"Thierry put me in charge of showing you around. Couldn't imagine that anyone would have something better to do. So I'm telling you now, might want to get to the kitchen first. This place will take half a day to finish a tour"

Quinn didn't say anything, arm braced against the doorframe and eyes on Rashel. She couldn't read the look so she just nodded at Ash, mostly to get him to leave, before gesturing at their pyjamas.

"We'll need ten minutes"

The lamia just nodded. His eyes lingered on Quinn for a second before he left them and disappeared down the hallway. Rashel suddenly became aware that she really wanted a shower if she was going to look humane in front of these strangers.

She stretched out her back as Quinn closed the door and was heading towards the bathroom when strong vampire arms spun her back around, pushing her against the wall. Her back collided with the smooth surface but she barely felt it because Quinn's mouth was back on hers and she didn't even think about complaining.

"John…" she murmured in between forceful kisses, "No…time…now"

"I don't care about breakfast," he replied huskily, hands pressed flat against the wall beside her head, "I want you"

That took her breath away and she needed a second to stop herself from just melting at that moment. This reminded her of the way his aura had almost overwhelmed her on the enclave when he'd tried to change her. It was so inviting, coercing her into something she knew she could have if she only gave in. Tempting as it was, she needed to get a grip.

"We just got here," she reassured him, debating whether to duck out from under his arm or not, "There is time for this later"

"Really?" he asked, caressing her collarbone with his lips. She breathed deeply, knowing exactly that he was doing this on purpose. God, he was going to drive her insane.

"Yes," she gasped out as his hands found her waist and he began massaging the exposed skin there with gentle movements.

"You really want breakfast _right_ now?" he questioned further, sliding her top up her stomach again, while his lips brushed along her ear.

"Yes," she had trouble keeping her breathing regular, "Starving"

His answer never came because his lips suddenly covered hers again and she lost all ability to coherently speak at all. His hands found her thighs and suddenly she was hoisted against the plaster, Quinn's naked torso against hers and she instinctively wrapped her legs around him. If they had been eager before, this was just on the edge of hunger in the way they could not get enough of another.

He was right. Clothes were dropping on the floor faster than she could even feel them being drawn away from her body. Suddenly she was down to her underwear and the skin-to-skin contact accelerated the rush inside her tenfold. Quinn was not entirely unaffected either; she could feel him stirring against her just as her body was responding to him.

Then his head dipped down, settling kisses on the swell of her breast. She gasped at the sensation. This was territory nobody had breached before and it was extraordinary to feel the rasp of his fangs against the skin followed by the soothing warmth of his lips. She wasn't scared, just exhilarated.

Her back was wedged too tightly against the wall to undo the clasps of her remaining clothing so she unlinked her legs. Sliding down his body, she used the change of height to capture his mouth again while she knocked his arm aside with her shoulder and switched their positions. Quinn only put up a mild resistance as she spun them and pressed him against the surface.

He must have guessed her intentions though because seconds later, his fingers danced over her bra, lingering as he waited for a reaction. When she showed no sign of discomfort, he undid the hook, removing the garment from her body without second thought. For a moment shock flowed through her at the loss of that barrier and she felt exposed just as she had when her scarf had been lifted. Doubt snaked into her head for a second. She wasn't ready. She couldn't be.

Then Quinn returned to his ministrations and everything became a blur. They were so close and she was desperate for more. His hands on her hips were sliding lower and she was determined to give back as good as she got. Her fingers settled on the hem of his sweatpants and she pulled at them in her distraction, not one to be undermined in this game they were playing.

She wasn't really prepared for the fact that there was nothing else to undress. Smooth skin followed the path of the sweats and as the came away she had to draw back, pausing, taking him in, in his entirety.

He felt her freeze, felt her mind go wild with uncertainty, and gradually lifted his head to meet her eyes as she stared at him. Realization flashed in his expression.

_You've never done this before_. It was a statement.

It took her a moment to gather her wits and catch her breath enough to be able to answer and when she did, her grip on him loosened.

_No_, she confessed, _I told you I tried to punch the guy who tried to ask me out_. _It stopped after that. I couldn't afford that in my life._

He looked thoughtful for a bit, the pure lust in his eyes receding somewhat. She knew it was something normal teenagers might have experienced but he had known from the beginning she was not the average girl. She met his eyes squarely. _I never wanted anyone until you._

He leaned in for a kiss then. Far less demanding than before, this was a kiss of assurance. She responded, feeling his arms envelop her and her own heartbeat thundering in her head. That in combination with his mental voice put her at ease. _I wasn't judging. I'm just not used to taking it slow. If you need time, we'll take time. _

She smiled against his lips before pulling back and regarding him. _I want this too._

_I know._

_Cool-down time?_

He just chuckled, leaning his head back against the wall.

"I'm going to take a shower," she stepped away, careless of any nudity by now and headed towards the bathroom as intended. She felt his eyes on her bare back as she went to her duffel to pick out fresh underwear.

The moment she was in the shower she let out a long breath under the pounding water. She couldn't comprehend how he set her on fire like this but they were definitely the craziest feelings she'd ever had. She couldn't think straight at all. She rested her head against the tiles of the shower, thankful that they were still relatively cold.

She could feel Quinn on the fringes of her mind, just as inwardly frustrated if not more. She didn't want to play him like this but it was easy for him to go all the way when she hadn't experienced a kiss until days ago. She was already surprised by herself for letting herself go today in a house they'd been in for a couple of hours. She didn't blame him for not paying attention to her inexperience.

So maybe she was being a coward but she didn't want to rush this. Especially not when they had just been accepted to stay here.

She finished up quickly, leaving her muddled mind behind with the shower and getting her head to focus. She had a role to play right now. She quickly dragged a brush through her hair and shook it dry. When she emerged from the bathroom, Quinn immediately took her place and she was left to sort through the insane amount of things Anja had packed her.

Some of it she couldn't even remember trying on. She stared at the heels poking up between the shirts and on a whim, tossed them under the bed. She really, really didn't like those things. After rummaging several minutes, she settled on a tank and regular jeans. If she was going to stop being the Cat, then she would have to make an effort not to come across as a ninja at all times.

She was tempted to throw open the curtains, then remembered that Quinn wouldn't react well to it. That was another aspect she supposed she'd have to get used to. Not that it made a significant difference since she was more of a night prowler too.

She peeked out though, finding that she could see the stretch of garden grounds behind the house. Again, everything looked flawlessly kept with extended rose beds and hedges forming the perimeter of the property. There was even a statue somewhere in the centre of the footpath leading out from the house around the black carpet of blossoms. She felt half the urge to scoff at all this wealth. Appearances really were everything out here.

She turned when she felt a caress on her wrist, finding her damp-haired soulmate in front of her. He kissed her lightly, some droplets still running down his face, catching on her eyelashes as she pulled him in. Then she laughed, blinking against the sudden wetness.

"Ready to face the wolves?" he asked, flashing that dazzling smile of his.

It was one of those moments. Too good to be true, she thought.

"Always," She reached over and pushed her knife down the side of her waistband until it was well out of sight.

The kitchen was surprisingly easy to find despite the maze of upstairs hallways. Once they'd reached the main foyer, the smell of pancakes and toast led them straight into the large room. It looked like the kind of workspace expected in an expensive restaurant, complete with a man bustling around in apron and hat who was flipping omelettes.

One side of the room had been cleared and filled with an assortment of small mismatching tables, around which six people were lounging. Simply the smells of fresh food filling this place had Rashel's mouth watering. The moment they entered though, all sets of eyes turned to them.

All teenagers, all of them beautiful in their own special way. Her eyes skimmed over them, catching brief sight of a head of fiery copper curls and a pair of entwined hands on the table. The only familiar figures were Ash and the tanned girl who had brought them to Thierry's office.

She forced herself not to look at them with her usual stoic hostility as she picked a seat beside the wolf girl and reached for a plate. Quinn settled next to her, a chair between him and Ash.

A blond girl spoke up first, her expression transmitting a warm and welcoming feel. She was earth-child if Rashel ever saw one. A witch. That voice just carried wisdom in it that was beyond human maturity. "I couldn't believe what Ash was saying. But it really is you. I would have expected anyone to be chosen by the Old Powers but you, Quinn. It's unbelievable. A human soulmate."

"Looks like no one is immune anymore. I actually followed your trail here," Quinn remarked, "I suppose I should thank you"

Rashel snapped to attention. "The witch you were talking about…the one who disappeared with a human," she turned to the pretty girl, "That's you?"

"Thea Harman," the gentle-spoken witch nodded, "And you are Quinn's soulmate."

"Rashel," she responded, addressing the table in general.

"This is mine," she turned to smile at the tall blond boy beside her who had been drinking from his mug, curiously watching, "Eric. I left my Circle for us to be together. I suppose you could say I dropped off the grid of the Night World. Now I'm just working for the good of everyone. What do you mean you followed my trail?"

Quinn explained briefly, getting one or two impressed murmurs from around the table at their quest to find Daybreak. Rashel meanwhile helped herself to some toast and the man, whom the girl next to her referred to as 'Chef' slipped an omelette onto her plate before she could open her mouth to protest.

At some point Ash stepped in during the conversation and gestured towards the rest of the group. "Okay, okay, before we all get absolutely blown away by the mad story telling here, let me just get the names out here"

Quinn sent him a black glare but since Ash knew best how to ignore unwanted reactions, he went straight ahead, pointing at a couple in the corner, "That's Poppy, newbie vampire. And James, I don't know if you guys met before? I don't think you ever took interest in the Rasmussens did you Quinn? Anyway, we've got a bit of a Romeo and Juliet story with these two. Well at least one of them died by choice"

"Funny, Ash," the boy in question said. He had Hollywood star good looks, a defined face, honest eyes and a smile on his lips. The name didn't ring a bell with Rashel though. He looked over at them, "I saved Poppy from cancer. She didn't have long anymore, so she chose to be turned"

She stared at the girl with the soft features and big smile. Immortality suited her but Rashel couldn't help but imagine the girl as human, not plain but not supernaturally glowing with energy either. She imagined her sick and dying, imagined what kind of pain she must have been in to allow herself to be killed by a vampire. She respected the decision but couldn't quench the tightness in her stomach at the thought.

"That's noble," Quinn answered in her place, "How did you know each other?"

"We're childhood friends," the redhead answered, her high voice full of affection as she glanced at James, "We were always close. When we realized we were soulmates it was as though we'd never been anything else"

"Poppy is actually half a witch as well. She never knew though," Thea added, "Heritage-wise she could have used the magic in her if she hadn't been turned"

"And that's Lupe over there," Ash continued, "Our very own human-werewolf halfbreed"

"Don't call me that," the girl hissed with sparking eyes.

He rolled his eyes before drawling on. "We saved her from Night World thugs who found out she wasn't pure wolf. They've been doing that a lot, casting out anyone who has human blood. My first mission where we got into a clinch. Trust me, she can fight like crazy against guys twice her size"

Rashel assessed her between bites of egg, taking in the way she seemed to be equally in control of her body as Rashel had been trained to do. That was natural for shapeshifters but from her stance, Rashel knew the girl was a fighter. She immediately felt more at home. Despite the age difference, she had a feeling they would find a lot of common ground.

Then she noticed the absence.

"Where's Connor?" she inquired, reaching for some orange juice.

"Off again this morning," Lupe explained, "He's a busy guy, in charge of a lot of bases. He's not around this place much"

"She likes to think she's the alpha-wolf around," Ash grinned. That obviously earned him a kick under the table because the smug expression was followed by a wince.

"Just like you think you call all the shots here," the human boy spoke up from beside Thea, "Didn't you say you had somewhere to be by now?"

That got a rapid reaction. Ash glanced at the kitchen clock, eyes growing wide. "Damn," he muttered before abruptly getting up and vanishing out of the kitchen at a speed Rashel hadn't seen the languid vampire use before.

"Mary-Lynette," was all Poppy said, suppressing a giggle.

It didn't take them long to add two and two together. "His soulmate?" Quinn guessed.

The curly-haired vampire smiled wickedly, "It's adorable how quickly he changes his attitude once you mention her. They call each other on the weekend when she doesn't have school. The second you say something about how he's completely head over heels, he goes and sulks for getting caught"

"Which is only fair for all the teasing we get," James agreed.

"This is all there is? When Thierry said they provide asylum for soulmates I thought he meant more than just you," Quinn looked around the group expectantly.

"Oh there are quite a lot now. But they don't stay here. This is headquarters but we can't have too many people in one spot, it gets risky. Night World people come here on occasion to see Thierry. It's one of his residences so the less Daybreakers hang around the better. The other safe houses are outside the big cities; they're made for people to stay permantly," Thea said, "We're not here long either. Thierry wanted to meet with us to discuss how to locate the Wild Powers. Everyone has been working on it day and night"

"Getting anywhere?"

"It's not so simple," the witch smiled, "It is awfully hard work to find the right signs. Most of the time the Wild Powers won't know that they are special people. The blue fire in their blood doesn't emerge whenever they feel like it. That keeps them safe but it also means they're difficult to find"

Rashel had finished eating and was listening intently. "Okay, so how do you start looking?"

"There is a prophecy," Thea looked at Quinn questioningly, "You might have heard of it. We know for a fact that Hunter Redfern's closest witches have found out about it. _One from the land of kings long forgotten, one from the hearth which still holds the spark, one from the Day World where two eyes are watching, one from the twilight to be one with the dark_"

Rashel raised an eyebrow. "Just who creates these prophecies?"

Eric smiled knowingly at her. "Sounds like a lot of garbage when you hear it the first time"

"But it makes sense," Quinn said, "The second line means there is a Harman-descended witch who is a wild power. And the Day World…"

"A human," James supplied, "Although the question of the two eyes is hard to figure out. We've considered maybe different coloured eyes or a human with special talents, superhuman abilites. Even an Old Soul is a possibility"

"Or an impure human," Quinn's dark eyes flashed, "Hunter likes to call them mongrels"

"What exactly is that?" Poppy asked, her fiery curls bouncing as she leaned forward.

Rashel was catching on now and with an apologetic look at Lupe, put it in clearer terms: "A half-breed. Night World blood mixed with human. Though I think they would be hard to find. People like that know better than to expose their heritage. The Night World would kill them. I bet most don't even know they're more than human if they're raised by humans"

"It's possible," Thea said, lost in thought, "But then it is just as difficult to find somebody who fits that description"

"The land of kings" Lupe threw in, "That sounds a lot like ancient times. If a person lives that long, that would make them a vampire"

"You're forgetting that they have to be born in the year of the Maiden's vision. That would be around seventeen or eighteen years ago," James reminded her, "So even if there's a vampire, he or she would have to be made or born recently"

"Well if you go with that trend you get one Wild Power from each of the species," Eric said solemnly, "And so far we have a lead on none of them"

"This would be our average breakfast discussion," Poppy grinned at the two newcomers. Rashel was too preoccupied to return the smile though, caught up in everything she had just heard. Puzzle solving was something she was used to, drawing connections between signs in order to track down her prey. There was something nagging at her.

"Didn't somebody say that all Wild Powers had to work together to stop the darkness?"

"Yes," Thea looked at her quizzically.

"The last part contradicts that doesn't it? From the twilight to be one with the dark…I mean that doesn't make sense if the dark is supposed to be the evil side. How on earth would you get them to change their mind?"

"Luck," Lupe said.

"Appeal to their conscience," James added.

"Hand them a soulmate," Quinn smirked.

She snorted and leaned back in her seat. "What do the witches think of that?"

Thea shrugged, "We have considered many possibilities. Circle Twilight could be the link that is mentioned but the witches are deciding right now whether to leave the Night World for good and work against the Council. It's unlikely that anybody would defer to their side if the entire race has declared independence from the dark side. We also thought about twilight symbolizing somebody working for both sides. Nobody can be sure."

"Right," Rashel shoved her empty plate aside, "What the witches need is a strategy. Scout teams. You can't just theoretically find a Wild Power. You've got to be out in the field looking, using contacts, finding clues"

"It's happening," Lupe said, "Everybody is working the hardest they can while also fending off the Council thugs"

"Well then we're not just going to stick around and sight-see around Vegas," Rashel decided, "We can help"

"I have people we can use to help find these powers," Quinn added, "There are still a couple that are loyal to me. And we're both ready to fight"

"I'm getting a weird sense of déjà vu here," James intervened, eyebrows raised as he stared at the made vampire, "Weren't you the one that was advocating a human-free world two months ago?"

"I was out staking vampires every night because I despised them and told myself it's for honour," Rashel countered, curious that she was jumping to Quinn's defence immediately, "And today I'm here to help keep the peace"

"Yeah, we heard you were a vampire hunter," Lupe gave her a sidelong glance, "Thierry said a pretty good one too"

"The best," Quinn corrected and Rashel jabbed him with her elbow for it.

"I worked under an alias," she quickly explained, "And that time of my life is over now. I'll fight for Daybreak if that's what they ask of me but I'm not the hunter anymore. So don't worry," she gave James and Poppy a smile, "I won't come stake you in the night"

That roused a laugh out of everyone. The dampened atmosphere slowly lifted, especially when Chef came back over to hand them berry muffins. Rashel was struck by how normal everyone looked. Despite the supernatural traits of course, this could have just been a group of teenagers enjoying their day together. The homely feeling she'd had when waking up grew ever stronger the longer they conversed with the others.

Eventually even Ash returned with a blissful look in his eyes and sarcastic sniping reduced to a minimum. Rashel wondered whether that was how she looked whenever Quinn gave her his full attention. Love struck as though nothing else mattered.

When everybody separated to complete individual tasks, she actually found it difficult to say goodbye. They were all interesting, all with their own stories and despite her initial distrust, they had been nothing but welcoming. But obviously, everybody had responsibilities and there was no time to waste.

As she parted from Poppy and James who were headed to Washington D.C. that afternoon, she caught Thea's words to Quinn behind her. "You know, I'm happy for you. I knew you couldn't be completely evil"

She had to smile to herself. She clasped Eric's hand in farewell and he gave her a reassuring smile as he and Thea left the kitchen to find Thierry. Then it was just Ash and Lupe who bustled them along to show them around.

It really was as grand as it hinted from the outside. Even though they skimmed most of the rooms, Rashel got a good look at the layout and was barely startled to find there was a ballroom and indoor pool. What she truly didn't expect was the basement that Ash must have purposely kept until last.

The door was effortlessly camouflaged into the wall. Only somebody aware of it would be able to make it out. A curving metal staircase led them down into the darkness and Rashel had half the urge to ask if they were heading to the dungeons. It smelled clean though, metallic and strangely like animal musk.

And then they'd reached the end of the steps and sensors along the walls were picking up their motions and turning on light. The space was bathed in white light and Rashel could actually not control her jaw dropping at the sight.

It was a training room, no question about it. An entire wall spanning at least twenty metres was a spread of weaponry that was fastened to the plaster. Her eyes scanned the length, noting that the equipment ranged from near-medieval swords to bow and arrows, daggers, lances, guns and body armour. It was the most incredible thing she'd ever stumbled upon and her feet moved her into the area of their own accord. She just had to test them. At least hold one of those finely crafted wooden swords she saw suspended on hooks.

"Smart huh? Training grounds under the house. Vampires could be having a tea party upstairs and not realize that their enemies are sparring down here," Lupe's grin could be heard through her voice, "It's sound-proofed and even bullet impact can't be felt upstairs"

"It's amazing," Rashel breathed, running her finger across a snakewood lance, "It's the last thing I expected down here"

"Well, it's all yours to use while you're here," Ash added, "Thierry had it installed as an emergency shelter at first but then a bunch of people became interested in training teams for combat against the guys coming after us. So here you go"

"And it's for anyone to use?" Rashel asked, trying very hard not to let her excitement wreck her composure.

"Anyone who can handle a weapon without killing themselves," Lupe nodded, "Most of us come here to cool off as well. It's hard to suppress changing for too long so this place is safe"

Shifters and werewolves. She'd almost forgotten that this girl was really a feisty little wolf. It was just so simple to become familiar with them that she overlooked that aspect. Of course they needed some kind of outlet for their powers away from the million-dollar interior of the mansion. This was more than she'd hoped for. It was perfect.

"Home sweet home for the vampire hunter," Ash sing-songed and she couldn't find the will to turn and snap something back because it was absolutely true. This was the kind of place she knew. Sad as it was, this was the closest she felt to being home.

That realization hit her harder than she expected. Was this truly what she was? Somebody who could not be happy without bloodshed to fulfil herself?

She stepped back from the wall, instead wandering over to the other side where Treadmills were lined up facing the centre of the room. There were training mats, weights and punching bags. Everything that reminded of a regular gym. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Lupe challenge Ash to a spar, to which he simply looked indignant. Quinn wasn't paying attention to them. He was on the opposite end of the room, examining a box full of stakes.

She suddenly felt the need to be alone. All this bombardment of information this morning had probably worked her up somewhat. That had to be it. She was just taking in very important things at once and that was making her feel this way.

She stuck to the grey wall as she moved along the perimeter until she hit the stairs. She slipped upstairs unnoticed and let out a breath when she reached the corridor. More than that, she wanted some fresh air. She located a balcony at the end of the next hallway, facing out over the garden. Then sun was beating down by now and she almost shivered at the sudden warmth washing over her.

It was beautiful out here. All palm trees and fountains and despite the glamour there was a genuine touch to it. This morning she'd been satisfied to sit around and simply enjoy the peace and quiet it offered. Now, with all the new knowledge, she couldn't bear to simply relax. Apparently the world was in an even more precarious position than she'd believed. She had to do something about it. She was not the type to sit back, focus on herself and let the world do it's own thing.

For some reason Daphne came back to mind. The girl had been an accomplice despite her complete inexperience. In some strange way, they had become friends. Now she surely had many more people whom she could work with. Whole teams to cooperate with if Thierry showed her to the right people. She wanted to do this. She really wanted to try and leave the Cat behind but she had a feeling that that wasn't ever going to be possible. It was just too deeply ingrained inside her.

She'd been a trained ninja with a sole path to follow and now she'd changed direction but not her purpose. To stop the evil and protect humanity. In this case, to prevent the Apocalypse.

She soaked up the sun a while longer, watching with a trained eye the figures moving around the back of the house. Two shapeshifters, she noted, one fox, the other a hound. Excellent senses. They were difficult to make out from up here but the coat colours in the sunshine gave them away.

Eventually, a movement behind her snapped her back to alertness and she spun, already dropping into a crouch as she stared through the glass of the balcony's double doors. The lithe werewolf girl with silvery hair looked back at her from the other side.

"Nice reflexes," she said, stepping into the open air too, "Almost looks like you've got some animal instinct there"

"Force of habit," Rashel straightened up slowly, forcing the adrenalin to seep away.

"Yeah, sorry, shouldn't have snuck up," Lupe looked a bit sheepish, "I was just curious where you'd gone. I thought you liked the training place"

She contemplated for a minute before saying, "I do. Just hits too close to home I guess. It's exactly the dream I had as a vampire hunter. So now that I could use it, I don't know, it feels like I shouldn't anymore"

"Why? Because we're meant to be the good guys?" Lupe snorted, "We know how to beat back when we have to"

"I didn't mean it that way," she shook her head, "I thought coming here was going to change me as a person. Out with the old, in with the new. But I'm still me. I'm still excited about seeing all that weaponry because it's familiar, I'm still looking forward to getting back into the field, being with my soulmate only confirmed that I'm still part of the old life…it's just shattered the illusion"

"Yeah it was kind of like that for me too," the girl replied, leaning against the banister, "When my parents got killed in front of me I thought the world ended. Then I got taken in by Daybreak and even though they gave me something to fight for, they didn't change who I am. I still feel more wolf than human, I still snap easily and I still think vampires are stuck-up idiots sometimes. But Daybreak is a good place to be. It helps when everything's been turned upside down"

"I'm sorry," Rashel said, glancing at her, "How old were you?"

"Fifteen. It was early this year," the wolf scratched her ear absentmindedly, "It's getting better though. The Daybreakers that Thierry sent me to live with became family. Sort of"

"You're a tough kid," she told the younger girl, "Not letting this get to you"

She received a shrug in return. "Life goes on right? You can only mourn for so long"

"Right"

They stood beside another with a silent closeness Rashel hadn't felt in a while. She empathized with Lupe but beyond that fostered an admiration for the teenager that she'd rarely had with other people. Even hunters who had experienced the most tragic stories had not touched her in this way. She wondered if this was the first sign of her letting weakness take over.

Emotions, friends, caring, soulmate. If life wasn't so determined to have her going on it would have killed her a long time ago. Seeing as she was still alive, she figured the young wolf was right. If she could contribute what she knew to this Circle, maybe she couldn't save the world but she could definitely learn to accept this new side of her.

The old Rashel was still there, probably would never really fade anyway. Just thinking of faces like Hunter's triumphant leer made her want to grab a stake and take to the streets. Yet, she was here and loving a vampire and fighting with a group of creatures she'd previously regarded as threats.

The new Rashel would deal with Council thugs, she'd be tolerant of other species and she'd become a team player. The strange thing was she suddenly felt this was the ideal place for her to be. With Quinn by her side, igniting feelings inside her she'd never known and silently promising support, she would do this. She would redefine who the Cat was and change into somebody that would fight for those she cared for.

A smile broke through on her face. Then she looked back down at Lupe and grinned.

"So, you were up for a spar?"


	10. Shaken

_Day 10, 14:15, Las Vegas_

Sweat ran down her spine. She could feel a single droplet travel down tantalizingly slowly even though she was moving extremely quickly. Her hands were steady but her arms had started to quiver with the weight of the staff she was using. Sometimes it was plain unfair to be faced with an opponent who didn't have to worry about stamina or strength.

Quinn threw a grin at her from the other side of the training mat before rushing forward again, his own weapon extended. Wood rang against wood as she parried the blow and then spun on the ball of her foot to get behind him and aim for his knees. He didn't bat an eyelash when the staff knocked against his briefly exposed legs. A heartbeat later he was on the ground but not without dropping his lance and catching hold of her ankle with both hands.

Completely thrown, she tumbled right down beside him. She thrashed backwards with her other leg but he was already rolling out of reach. Before she could flip over to protect herself, his weight crushed onto her back and left her breathless. The pressure forced her flat against the floor and she bit back a groan as her cheek collided with the surface.

They'd been at it for thirty minutes and neither was backing down. Today Quinn was harder in her than he'd been before. Maybe that was due to this being their first session entirely alone in Thierry's underground lair. Everyone else was on missions and they'd found themselves down here without another soul around. Even Ash had left for the week.

It had been her idea to spar, truth be told. They hadn't actually fought another one-on-one since the island and even that had been a rapid defeat since she had surprised him. She'd known since their first meeting that there was incredible experience in him. Right now, she got a good impression of what he'd had centuries to obtain. Apart from his obvious strength and technique, he knew almost as much as her about pressure points. She could feel him dig his knuckles into that area on her spine that had her immobile on the ground.

She sucked in a breath, then bit through the pain to throw an elbow jab at the leg he had on the floor beside her. She aimed right at the upper thigh muscle and this time she got a low hiss from him as she made impact. She knew the pain well, that sharp and instant burst of agony. It had him lose focus on his grip and she had enough time to buck upwards against his weight and smack another elbow into his stomach.

He was stubborn though. She had to twist around in the most uncomfortable way to shove him off her as he sat winded. Even as he recovered and leapt for her again, she was prepared now. Since he was unarmed, she didn't bother recovering her weapon either, letting him engage in plain physical combat.

She landed a couple of good punches but one miscalculated step later he caught her around the ribcage. With a laugh at her stunned face, he lifted her off the ground to flip her over his head. Recognizing the move in mid-air, she grabbed for his neck with her arms. Even as she should have fallen onto the ground like a ragdoll, she anchored herself around his neck, landing on her feet and attempting to throw him with the momentum instead.

The trouble with the skin contact was that he saw her moves coming when she brushed against him. He grabbed her linked arms around his throat, forcing her back against him in order to keep her arms in their sockets. She immediately tried to unwind herself but even as she attempted to spin back around he had ducked out from under her hold and tackled her to the ground. If there was one aspect she would acknowledge she was outmatched in, it was in speed.

This time she was on her back instead of the stomach and the collision left her seeing black spots for a second. She wasn't defeated though. Even though her breath rasped, her heart pumped wildly and she was soaked, she still had a couple of tricks up her sleeve.

His fangs were nearly translucent in the white light of the room as he loomed over her, the vampire eyes opaque to her. She smirked despite her exhaustion and surged upwards to head butt him squarely in the nose. It seemed this was the trick that always caught the opponent off guard. The familiar crack resounded around them and blood flowed.

There was a beat of silence in which the made vampire reared back, simply frozen above her as the break registered with him. The air seemed to sizzle with her small victory despite him not making any sound to indicate pain. Then he focused back on her. Instead of spending his time howling in pain like Marcus had, Quinn simply responded by using the proximity to grab her neck.

Even one-handed, she felt him apply enough pressure to close her windpipe. Suddenly, a new sensation flooded through her that added to the adrenalin. Good, old-fashioned panic made her cold as she struggled to inhale. Something was wrong. He had never done this before. Not even the times when she had beaten him in group sessions with Ash and Lupe.

Quinn was so close, staring right through her as he pushed her back against the ground. His eyes were the most reflective she'd seen them in a while. Now that she faced him with little distance between them, it struck her that she couldn't read them. Empty, bottomless holes. Not that his face was shut off, there were definitely emotions running wild but all of them indicating bloodlust.

She had no idea what was going on. Surely a bleeding nose wouldn't have triggered this kind of extreme reaction. She'd bruised him plenty of times before this last week.

_Quinn, _she spoke through their link, willing him to snap out of whatever he was playing at,_ Stop it. Get the hell off me. Quinn!_

No sign of understanding in his eyes. It was as effective as talking to a wall. Rashel felt the lack of air go to her head. What the hell was he doing? It was as though Quinn had just left his body on autopilot with the order to crush the enemy. Her survival instincts were screaming to kill him but she was trapped under his weight braced across her hips.

She realized the reason she couldn't give him a direct mental shout was the gloves he had put on for wielding the wooden lance. There was no contact possible in any place she could reach from where she lay. The same void reigned in his mind as it had when they'd battled the Night World thugs on the road.

Her hand was free though. Even though it had automatically gone to her throat to pry his fingers away unsuccessfully, she could still move. Feigning weakness, she let it drop to her side and slide into the waist of her training shorts. It was a tiny knife, barely a five-centimetre blade, but it would have to do. The sharp oak would hopefully do its job.

She tried to breathe one last time against the cruel grip on her throat, then jabbed the weapon against the first place she could reach. Straight through the glove into his wrist.

Blood spurted, splattering both of them as he pulled back with a growl. Air flooded her lungs and she almost choked with the rush. It was the most blissful sensation and despite her body convulsing in coughs as she inhaled, she felt refreshed. Just her luck that she prepared herself for every crisis scenario at all times.

He stood back in that fluid movement of his, snarling through his teeth like a crazed animal as he ripped the knife out. She'd probably hit an artery. The blood kept coming, gushing down his fingers and already forming spots on the ground where he was. She scrambled backwards in between gasping breaths, staggering to her knees a lot less gracefully but determined.

His head snapped back up as she moved, watching her with widening eyes. As the blood spraying from the wound increased, the feral appearance shrunk, leaving him standing with a stricken expression on his face. The blood on his lips dripped down as he opened and closed his mouth, seemingly trying to find his voice.

A minute passed in tense silence, only disturbed by the steady beat of drops hitting the ground. Finally, he got a single word out and that by itself was filled with such self-loathing that she had half the urge to cross the space and hold him to her.

"Rashel…" he whispered, having the good sense to clamp a hand around his open wrist. She couldn't tell if he'd become paler from the blood loss or the shock.

She couldn't reply. Even though it was more than obvious he was himself again, she didn't know what to say. He'd just attempted to kill her and painfully at that. How could she know what reaction was appropriate here?

Rashel couldn't even look at his face. This picture was even worse than that of the one who'd just tried to strangle her. She didn't know how to deal with this. She swallowed heavily, feeling her throat constrict then relax painfully. Without any further reaction, she stooped to collect their abandoned weapons and return them to the adjacent wall.

She sensed that he wasn't moving behind her. The next moment, she realized to have noticed this, she must be on full alert as though awaiting another ambush while she had her back turned. She willed herself to calm down. Maybe he had a perfectly good explanation for this… _blackout_ or whatever had just happened. He was still Quinn, still her soulmate. Maybe this was just a slip-up during an intense sparring session, nothing more.

She touched her head gingerly where it had hit the floor multiple times. It felt tender but not overly achy. No blood either. Only Quinn had been cut today.

She turned back to find him still rooted in the same place, his gaze averted to his arm. She sighed inwardly. He looked lost, a pale figure in dark clothing. For some reason, Zora's words decided to ring through her mind as she stood there looking at him. _Somebody who has done so much is dangerous. Even for someone he thinks he loves. _Damn the witch for putting these kinds of doubts in her head in the first place.

He didn't move a muscle when she approached him again, bending down to retrieve the knife from beside his foot. There was a trembling in his legs that she hadn't noticed before and she felt the rational side take over when she noticed.

"You need to patch that up. Wood won't heal so fast"

His voice sounded nothing like him when he replied the affirmative. It wasn't steadfast and self-assured anymore. It had gone monotone as though he had no energy to speak. Stepping away from her instantly to retrieve some first-aid material, she could see the tightness in his shoulders. It was like he was still reigning himself in from exploding all over again. This was the most absurd behaviour coming from him. She truly had no idea what had caused this.

She absently rubbed the blood off the dagger with a cloth and then proceeded to mop up the worst of the blood. The single rule down here – leave it as you found it. She would need more to get rid of the stain before it dried.

She couldn't take her eyes off Quinn though. As he finished strapping the wound tightly enough to stem the wound, he seemed miles away. Through the bond she could sense turmoil, almost worse than the night he'd told her he'd make her a vampire. It was mostly fury and directed at himself, the situation, the world. Not a good thing.

She dropped what she was doing and moved over to his side of the room, crouching beside him and reaching for his damaged wrist. He surprised her by raising his head to stare at her neck where they both knew bruises would reign tomorrow.

_Will I get an explanation?_

She thought she saw actual shame cross his face. _Rashel…I'm sorry._

_At least you didn't rip my head off, _she tried to lighten the mood but it fell short. To detract, she reached up to wipe away the blood from his nose;_ do you even know what happened?_

_Not hard to figure out. I tried to kill you._

She actually snorted at the deadpan reply. At least it sounded more like him. _Did I tick you off that much? Guess I'm doing my job well then._

_It's not you. But in that moment, you were just another human, _he brushed her words aside, _and despite what I think of humans now, they're still so easy to kill._

_What the hell are you saying?_

He raised his eyes up further, meeting hers squarely. _When we said we'd do this…go become the good guys, did you really believe I could stop killing? Did you think that it would change what had come so naturally for hundreds of years? Hundreds, Rashel. That's thousands of people. That's my instinct. Where you've got self-preservation, I've got the urge to kill for satisfaction._

_I know that. _She groaned in frustration, _Look, I'm not blaming you!_

He pulled his head away from her, face growing stormy. _Of course you do. You can't help yourself. Your soulmate tries to choke the life out of you…you feel betrayed. If you're not blaming me then there's something wrong here._

_Listen to yourself. You're saying being a vampire makes you the murderer and being human means I'm the good guy? That's not true. We both know we've done enough. We've accepted that. I didn't expect to be strangled but you didn't plan this. _

_But I did it. _His jaw clenched violently.

_So what? Should I stab your other wrist and let you bleed out so you feel we're even? _Rashel threw the soaked cloth away. She felt angry all of sudden. Angrier at his reaction than his attempt to hurt her. _It happened. What we are going to do about it matters. I've been choked while working before and always got out of danger. I can deal with it. _

_Are you even listening? _He stood with her, equally angry. _I'm straight out telling you this won't go away and you're talking about 'doing' something to change that?_

_Thierry looks like he's got it under control just fine and he's the oldest I know. If the original can handle it, you can at least try. _It wasn't the best tactic to be antagonizing him by comparing others to him. She knew he would immediately feel threatened but she needed to get this through to him.

_By going on animal blood? _He sneered.

_It would be a start if you want to stop being a stubborn asshole._

He barely reacted physically but his mental tone went icy. _I want to see you compromise when you get impaled through the wrist._

_You shouldn't have choked me, then you wouldn't have a hole in your arm. Come and talk to me when you're done being angry at yourself._

With that she marched out of the room. She didn't even know why she was steaming like this. Really, what Quinn could probably use now was someone patient with him. But the reality was she did almost get throttled and she was allowed to be cranky about it. He'd fucked up, no question about it.

She'd known this relationship would take time but moments like this, she really got the impression she had no idea what she was in for. Moments like this were worth wondering what this soulmate principle was trying to do because apparently building bridges between the races was going to be pretty difficult. Killing instinct being only one of many differences.

As for the factor of love, she was still a long way from figuring that out too.

She ended up in the kitchen; filling a bucket with soapy hot water in order to remove all the bloodstains they'd caused downstairs. She scrubbed the worst off her hands, watching the red liquid drain away down the sink. Quinn's different faces kept swimming in front of her inner eye. His bestial, violent creature and his self-destructive, regretful face of shock. Both were faces she didn't want to see again in the near future.

Worse than that, she got the feeling these parts of him were hovering under the surface, always in search of an outlet. She knew he was right. His nature was different from hers and she'd gotten used to that but that he would turn on her…it had seemed unthinkable.

She hadn't even realized she'd been staring into an empty sink until somebody cleared their throat behind her. She spun to see Nilsson standing in the doorway, silent as a shadow in his trademark serious stance.

"Do you need help with that?"

She glanced at the bucket and rag she'd dumped on the floor. She shook her head quickly. Her voice still sounded raspy when she answered, "Just got to clean up downstairs. It's not a big deal"

"Do you need medical attention?" he probed, inclining his head and she realized she had blood smeared all over her legs. So much for keeping the chaos under lockdown. She gave the man a smile and a second shake of the head.

"I'm fine. I'm just going to go get this down there," she picked up the things, breezing past the suited guy as fast as she dared, "It's a bit messy. Blood is terrible to get rid of"

She was babbling and Nilsson probably noticed the crack in her usual composure. Honestly, she didn't want questions asked by others wanting to use the room. Though her argument was valid logically - blood did have the tendency to produce stains if it was left alone.

The room was deserted when she re-entered and she was strangely glad for it. Quinn had to take a break and she was grateful for a silence that wasn't uncomfortable. She sloshed the water on the red areas, making it tint dark while she scrubbed at it. There was more blood than she had initially realized. Having hit an area where it ran at high pressure in the body, he'd lost a lot in a short time. So somewhere around the place Quinn would surely be feeding now to recover. Or maybe he wasn't. Maybe she was wrong and he would be sitting in their room with his anger and throbbing wound, punishing himself.

The bloody puddles spread but grew lighter as she worked, wringing water into the bucket. She took the time to get every last speckle off the floor as well as carefully washing the knife that had caused the damage. She looked at the object in the light, dangling it between her fingers. It had saved her life today. She didn't quite know how to wrap her head around that.

She had to defend herself against Quinn in a life and death situation. She couldn't explain how it had happened. Was it really the case of him snapping at random in situations of stress, unable to control it? He had been winning the fight. She couldn't see how he'd felt more threatened than usual.

It couldn't have to do with them being cooped up here either. Just because they weren't sent around the country on missions yet didn't mean there was nothing to do. People came and went all the time so they made a bunch of acquaintances from the Circle.

She'd even ventured down to the witches' sector of the mansion to converse with the healers on occasion. Many nights now everyone sat together combing through Newspaper articles, video clips, police reports and whatnot trying to find signs of a Wild Power.

When all of that wasn't happening, they sparred or spent time wandering the grounds, exploring every last corner of the place. They'd found several secret niches and even though Quinn held himself back since their first day here, she was perfectly happy to let him claim her lips whenever they found themselves alone. It truly wasn't as though she'd given him reason to snap and that bothered her most of all. There had to be a reason.

She was done accepting the explanation that it was just the way he functioned as a being. Drinking blood didn't automatically make him a killer and being instinctively predatory did not make him homicidal enough to turn on anyone. The answer had to lie in his past. Something he wasn't telling her about. Again that witch's statement rang in her ears, the words following her as she finished clearing up and shut off the lights.

_A very, very dark heart. _

She'd be damned if she couldn't do something about that.

Thinking of that girl also tagged along flashes of Marcus. Apart from being a stoner, he'd had that air of mystery that only witches seemed to possess. To top that off, he was someone who had information about everything and everyone. She paused at the top of the stairs as his final words came back to mind.

He'd said she had a sibling. Coming from a guy like him it could easily be a lie but she'd gotten the impression that his pride and joy in life was his knowledge of other people. If this was truly a fact he had dug up about her then that made an impact. She wanted to know more. She wanted clarity about her past at least if the present was being so complicated.

Just seeing all the data Circle Daybreak gathered all the time it surely wouldn't be impossible to find what Marcus had found as well. She would do it herself if she had to. All she wanted was a lead so she could find absolution in knowing she either did or didn't have a sibling out there somewhere. The rest she would do herself.

She dumped the bloody water and considered her next actions. Find out where Quinn was or find out if Thierry was around? She glanced at the clock in the entrance hall as she passed through. It was only three in the afternoon. She'd have to wait several hours at least until Thierry returned. He only seemed to show up at night despite him technically living here.

She ended up in their room, only to find it equally empty. There was no sign of Quinn having stopped by. Sighing, she stripped to take a shower. The warm spray touched her skin and she relaxed under the heat, feeling blood and sweat washing from her body. Her shoulder still ached slightly from a week ago but there was barely a scar left. It had been overstretched during her fight today though and she rolled it a bit to ease the feeling.

Now that she felt clearer about everything, she wanted to see him. She needed to talk to him. Having parted with such an argument was their first time to separate in a fury. It made her uncomfortable to think about it and suddenly her bruised neck was secondary to making sure he was all right. She knew he could take care of himself but that didn't make her feel any less concerned.

A quick shower later, sitting on the bed, she pulled out her wallet from under the mattress and retrieved a photo from the inside. Her mother's face smiled back at her from the tiny picture. Even tinier in the background, she could see herself and baby Timmy fighting over an ice cream. She must have been about two at that point in time. It was the only photo she purposely kept of her past.

She traced her mother's cheek with a fingertip and found herself wishing she were here. She would have known what to do, given Rashel some motherly wisdom. She'd always been mature beyond her years and even so, had long since become an adult, but somehow she craved her mom back for support, now that everything had changed.

She didn't let herself miss her often. Her run-in with Hunter and Timmy had brought back memories and emotions she'd believed buried. Now this issue with Quinn and everything she'd learnt about herself and the world…it wouldn't hurt to have a parent here.

She flopped backwards onto the mattress, clutching the photograph to her stomach. She hoped everything would figure itself out. She couldn't do much about this situation right now but continue forward. She glared at the ceiling, muttering, "Why does nobody give a warning that it's a pain to care about people?"

She couldn't sit still for ages though. It was clear that wherever Quinn was, he wouldn't be showing up soon. Maybe it was the trained hunter in her but sitting around made her edgier than moving from place to place. She dug around in the heap of clothes she'd piled up on the sofa, rummaging for swimwear. It hadn't taken her long to find the indoor pool during their stay here and most days she'd woken early to go for a swim. The water was as soothing as it was a method of keeping active and she'd never encountered anyone else in there.

Finally finding something that was sturdy enough to swim laps in without losing the top, she slipped into it and headed to the third floor. She knew the layout of the building by now, which rooms were bathrooms, bedrooms or parlours. What had once been a platform attic of sorts had been entirely modernized, panelled in marble and a pool installed. Somebody had even gone into the trouble of adding a rack with towels even though nobody seemed to frequent this place. Though Quinn would find her if he was searching. He always did.

She stepped into the water, not bothering to let her body adjust to the temperature difference. She leapt right in, diving the length of the pool before coming up for air. For all the feline mythology associated with her, she was not shy of water. It was one of the few places she felt she could blend out the real world. There was perfect solitude under the surface where sound only reached in muffled scraps.

She broke into a lazy breaststroke, balancing her movements and feeling the power in her legs as she swam. A couple of times she dove as far as she could, testing her lung capacity before she had to take a breath. It hurt because of her bruised windpipe but she tried to ignore it. Even then, Quinn occupied her thoughts. She had seen his disgust at having hurt her. She couldn't believe he'd done it on purpose. He wouldn't. Even though he had, she had felt the fear in him when he came to his senses. He had been scared of himself. He seemed to have no control over the unannounced bloodlust.

She dove again, willing the water to wash away her own fears. Not that she was scared of him. Just as she had told him what she feared most was losing him, whether physically or emotionally. If this thing came between them, she had no idea what to do.

Eventually she stopped with the laps, pulling herself up to sit on the side. She didn't bother with a towel; rather watching the drops run down her skin, follow the curve of her legs to drip back into the pool. She didn't know how long she sat there until her hair only felt damp and she couldn't even see the wall she had been staring at. She blinked and suddenly there was a dark figure in her peripheral vision she hadn't picked up before.

Her head snapped up, thinking for a second it was Quinn who was hovering there. Then the figure stepped closer and she realized her mistake. She jumped up quickly to address him but he gestured for her to stay where she was.

"No need for that. I was the one interrupting you after all," he smiled at her, coming over to settle on one of the deckchairs beside the pool. She was struck by how easily he fit into the environment despite him looking very much out of place in the business suit.

"I didn't expect anyone," she explained, crossing her arms. She wasn't quite sure if she should sit back down or even grab herself a towel. Not that he was paying attention to her lack of proper clothes, "Especially not you, Lord Thierry"

"Please no formalities," he gave her a small smile and the cheerfulness made him look so much younger, "It's bad enough to be hearing it from the staff all day. Thierry will do"

She couldn't help rolling her eyes. "I'm sorry doesn't it feel absolutely ridiculous to have a title?"

"It's a responsibility I have. The title comes with the role. If you were in my position, you'd get used to it quite quickly. I've had many names over the centuries. Lord being one of the nicer ones"

She nodded, observing the way he was leaning forward onto his knees with his hands linked. A posture that indicated a serious conversation was awaiting her. "I'm guessing you're not here to swim?"

"I usually do at a later hour," his smile waned gradually, "No, it is more important than that. I would like to discuss a mission with you. I need somebody of your expertise. I did not plan for it to be your first task for Circle Daybreak but as it is, my other field agents are busy around the country. I wouldn't ask if it was not urgent."

"No, it's fine," she replied. Her body was already tingling with anticipation at the thought. Finally back out in the world doing what she knew best. This was exactly what she had been waiting for the entire week. She quickly grabbed a towel and sat down across from the original vampire. Strange to think she'd once given anything to take him down. Now he just seemed like any person to her, "What's the job?"

"You should know it is not a one man operation. I would like you and Quinn to team up with two others that I have sent for," he told her, "I'm hoping that is not a problem?"

"No problem," she assured him. As long as the additions weren't complete nuisances to work with, she would adjust to a team. All she wanted was to be on the move with a purpose again.

"It's a task that goes against my agenda but especially now we have to use every opportunity we get. Yesterday, the Council decided to dispatch a team to track what they believe is a Wild Power. Even if the trail proves false, this is a risk we can't take. If they kill the right person, the war is lost. I must ask you to follow them and ensure that they do not make contact"

Rashel heard the words he was not saying. Find, engage, eliminate. These Council pawns had to be taken out of the equation permanently. Preferably so that their disappearance was quiet enough not to alert the Council, which would buy Daybreak time to continue their own search.

"Do we have identities of the team? What about the target?" she asked, already mapping out the approach in her head.

"Being obtained as we speak. Nilsson assured me it would be ready by the morning. The agents should have arrived by then so you will be dispatched immediately," Thierry still looked reluctant and Rashel gave him a fierce look to quench the doubts circling in his head.

"Leave it to me," she said, "It's what I do"

"That I'm sorry about. It must have been difficult to be forced to grow up like that," he turned those solemn eyes on her. She saw no pity but sympathy extended towards her, "You are one of the few humans I've met who began seeking out the Night World at such an early age. Seeking out for revenge, that is"

"The choice was made for me," she replied, looking away across the still pool.

He seemed to understand that there was not much more to be said on the matter. She was glad he didn't comment further until she realized that by turning her head, she'd presented him with the growing finger-shaped bruises. She didn't even have to look at him to know his attention was immediately drawn there. It was pointless to hide it anyway. Sooner or later somebody in the mansion would have spotted them.

"You want to know about it," she stated, not meeting his eyes.

"It's my business to know when somebody comes to harm while they are under my protection here," he responded, "Is this something that can turn into a problem for the others in this house?"

She hadn't even considered that aspect yet. Mentally kicking herself for not immediately entertaining that thought, she let out a breath. "I don't know," she confessed, "I'm putting it off as an accident. We were sparring and he lost control for a minute and…"

"Quinn?" he clarified.

She nodded. "Everyone has a dark side right? We all let it take over sometime."

He didn't reply for a while and when she glanced back at him, she noticed how his face had become clouded, as though the words had caused him pain. She came to realize for the first time that his dark eyes held not only wisdom and knowledge but also the torture of many lifetimes past and the cruelty of the world. She'd only had around twelve years of it so far. It must be an unimaginable burden to have experienced a thousand.

"I've known your soulmate long before you came into his life and changed him," he started, "And I'm sure you both know that he was far from the person he is now. Hunter's control over him reached deeper than anyone could possibly understand. I had plenty of time to observe their relationship. Even though he gave up that life for you, it is difficult to tear yourself away from what you've believed in and what you've practiced for centuries. I suppose you could compare it to the discovery that the sun does not revolve around the earth. When his world came crashing down on him, he would have felt torn in his very nature once the shock subsided"

He hit the nail on the head there. "I don't know how to help him," Rashel admitted quietly, "I don't even know why I was naïve enough to ignore these problems"

"The soulmate principle," he said with a smile, "works miracles, but some things each person has to figure out alone"

"I know it's not my place to ask but could you speak with him? If he won't listen to me because I don't understand then maybe he would to you. I mean, you don't seem to struggle with bloodlust so I just thought, well, you come across as very calm," she winced at the terrible choice of words. She was no good at asking favours, especially from people she had to respect as an authority. He didn't seem to judge her for it though.

"I'll see what I can do," he assured her, "If there are any problems, you can always take them to Nilsson. I entrust him with everything that goes on here"

"I'm fine," she shook her head, "I'm not worried about myself"

"And you're comfortable with pursuing this mission with Quinn?"

She shot him a questioning look that he returned with a raised eyebrow. "Of course"

He nodded once before rising from the seat. She watched his back as he headed towards the entrance again before she realized she'd missed out the most important part. She jumped up and called it out before he could round the corner and disappear.

"Thank you"

He paused to face her once more and she swore she saw a smile tugging at his lips as though he'd known this was coming. "You're welcome"

Then it was just the quiet slosh of the water and the tranquillity again. She couldn't help feeling better. The ancient vampire seemed to have a way of simply taking stress away with his presence even though he'd just asked her to risk her life by hunting down Council agents.

She relished the thought of being able to fight again. Only this time she was certain they were the bad guys she'd kill. She hoped Quinn would be with her on this. After hearing Thierry's recount of his connection with Hunter, she wondered whether openly engaging the Council's people was something he was willing to do.

She'd have to talk to him either way but she got the distinct feeling this was a vital step. How this mission turned out would determine a lot. She only hoped Quinn would agree to it.


	11. Reconcile

_Day 10, 21:00, Las Vegas_

Quinn was lost.

Not physically, obviously. He had an exceptional memory and he knew Vegas inside out although he'd barely ever set foot in a casino. The Strip had been his home for several years in the last century and he'd know how to navigate in his sleep. Now, he was lost in his own head, brooding in a manner that usually bred terrible results.

He couldn't help it. He hadn't felt so torn since Dove was staked by his own flesh and blood. It was an excruciating guilt that clawed at his chest and had his hands clenching with suppressed tension. It was his fault. He'd let his past get the better of him for a couple of seconds and it had almost killed the person that meant everything to him.

Quinn had no idea how she could forgive him, even if she wanted to. Although she may not have voiced it, he had sensed the betrayal inside her as soon as he released her throat. She would have been stupid not to react that way. Whatever had connected them before was built on the trust they had in each other to never hurt another. He'd shattered that faith. What did that make him?

The monster. The heartless creature he'd been most of his life. Rashel couldn't fathom what it was like to be him. It wasn't like flipping a switch and shutting off his demonic side. It was hard to quench old habits and he blamed himself as much as the ones who'd made him become this.

He'd repeated the words in his mind for the past hours as he wandered the Strip. _I almost killed Rashel_. It was a surreal image and every time he tried to recall making the conscious decision to choke her, he came up blank. It had been instinctive and that was what worried him the most. If he couldn't consciously prevent the vampire taking over, how was he supposed to be with her and guarantee her safety?

He gripped his head, trying to let the emotions out before they drove him entirely insane. Going so long without them, he'd forgotten how much agitation they brought with them. It was exactly the kind of frustration he'd felt in that cellar he'd first met Rashel. Only now, every cell in his body was cringing at the thought of what he had almost done. Purely self-destructive notions.

Kill or be killed, he'd told her over and over. That seemed far in the past now but the man who'd said that was still a part of him. He hadn't wanted this to happen but it was beyond him to make those decisions. He had to make her understand somehow.

He dropped his hands from his head, raising his eyes to the ocean of colour and light below him. His feet dangled a good ten floors above the tarmac. Anyone looking up who had the superlative eyesight to notice him would think him suicidal. It was a vertical drop over sixty metres to the street from this roof. He sighed as he stood up from the ledge and headed down the fire escape he'd come up from.

It had been too long. He wasn't going to come to terms with what he'd done anyway if he didn't see Rashel. Maybe she wouldn't forgive him but he would try to make her see why. There were a hundred explanations for his actions but he'd show her the only way he knew how. Enough had been done already. That was all he'd ever done in the human world; caused irrevocable damage. The process of patching it up was harder than he had anticipated.

He wandered down the busy streets, silent amongst the crowds of partygoers and gamblers that seemed to increase ever time he'd visited. He hated those who would try their luck stealing from those leaving casinos, even though nine out of ten cases exited with emptier pockets. Sometimes it truly appeared humans were incapable of common sense.

Then again, where had his logic been when he'd had his hands around Rashel's neck?

He made himself invisible by turning into side streets. The darkness penetrated more easily where the laser beams and flashing signs were absent. Quinn welcomed the dimness and increased his pace as he headed back to the mansion. He hadn't even registered how far he'd walked during the day to get away from the crime scene.

Rashel may have been his saviour when he had become tired of himself but she was also his doom. Loving someone so deeply, so overwhelmingly, had been his downfall once. He would not let the same fate take her.

He sensed her through their bond the moment he entered the place. He had chosen the front entrance instead of sneaking inside and received a pointed look from Nilsson as he strode past. The young man didn't say anything and even though Quinn saw no hostility directed at him, he did feel the gaze follow him up the stairs. He wondered if Rashel had told anybody what had transpired.

Thankfully the corridors seemed deserted. Even that werewolf girl Rashel had bonded with during the week was not prowling around tonight. If anything, he did not want to imagine the annoyance of having to deal with unwanted company right now.

The door was shut when he reached it and he could hear the steady breathing of his soulmate inside. The muffled sound of the television, the scrape of a fork over a plate, the rustle of clothing. Then the blare of the news was silenced and the cutlery clattered once, went quiet. She knew he was here.

He stepped inside, immediately catching her eye where she sat cross-legged on the sofa. She stared right back. The beautiful cat eyes had the unmistakable look of distrust in them even though her expression was blank. A small part of him was glad she'd come to her senses and realized he was not worthy of her trust. Another part kicked himself once again.

It hadn't even been two weeks and he'd broken the promise he'd made her in that motel room. He'd disappointed her trust and made himself the enemy. The bruising on her neck wasn't as harsh as he'd expected and he was glad for it. It could have been worse. He could have snapped her neck. The mere thought sent tremors down his spine.

She was the first to break the silence. She glanced down at his bandaged hand, which had seeped through during the day. He hadn't bothered to feed and he was sure it showed. "Are you okay?"

The irony of that question. Had he not been John Quinn but any other human boy that deserved her more, he'd have fallen to his knees and prayed her pain become his to carry. But he wasn't. He knew he didn't have it in him to beg for forgiveness and he figured she didn't expect him to. Instead, she showed concern for him. It affected him like a punch to the gut. So many answers he wanted to give but none of them would be right.

"I love you," he said instead because all that he could think of expressing was the truth.

Her face changed then, the indifferent mask cracked and dropped away. She rose from the seat and to where he was still by the door. She stopped within an arms length. He had the feeling she wanted to reach for him but at the sight of his hands, caught herself in the recent memory. The sensation overcame him too at the thought that her hands had driven wood into him hours ago.

That they should be wary to be close to another. He supposed he deserved it. Their relationship had been built on respect, recklessness and admiration. This last week, it had been solidified in battle, determination and the bliss of another's company. Now, he'd managed to damage it with nothing but his hands. The fragility of life was more apparent than ever.

"Do you believe me when I say I'm sorry?" he asked when she didn't reply.

"Yes," she nodded, "I'm sorry too"

"You have nothing to apologise for," he stated firmly with no room left for argument on that point, "It was my fault"

She paused and gave him a long, steady look. He waited, wanting it to sink in. He needed her to understand this before he gave her an explanation. Eventually she opted for, "It's really strange to hear that coming from you"

"I've learnt that sometimes taking responsibility is the only way to fix something," he said softly. There was another silence and when he looked up he could have sworn there was relief shimmering in her eyes. She even had a faint smile on her face.

"Remember on that enclave when you decided you'd turn me," she told him, "and when we felt the connection. You said you couldn't become anything better. But you can, Quinn. I know you don't believe that but you can. You already have. Things have changed"

He stared at her, bewildered by the words. How could she still believe in him? It was incredible. The conviction behind her speech. She truly was the most honourable, fiercely loving person he had ever known.

"Things have changed," he agreed, repeating her words with an entirely different connotation. He watched realization spark at what he was implying, "What I've done…I don't expect you to not resent me. But I want you to have an explanation"

"Quinn…" she started but this time he cut her off, stepping forward to grip her above the elbows in earnest.

"What I'm going to show you, that is not who I want to be anymore. It's something I can't run away from but I can try to make up for it. I will," he had no more control over the things he said; all he knew is that he needed her to comprehend his shame. He needed her to know, regardless of how she would handle it.

She was startled but gave nothing away, nodding slowly as he loosened his grip and slid one hand down to her exposed hand. Skin touched skin and he kept his eyes on Rashel as hers slid shut and the direct link opened their minds to another.

Waves of intense feeling overtook him and he could feel his soulmate's mingle with them. Her curiosity, wariness and worry and underneath it all the ever present feelings for him. It was different today though. She was holding back. The pain of his attack, the deep shock, was still fresh in her mind. It permeated the world around him like ink, running across everything in thin rivulets.

He shook his instant guilt away, focusing on what he wanted to show her. He let himself fall into the memory, one of his earliest that he hadn't revisited in many decades. It wasn't a pleasant image and he felt familiar coldness return with it. He knew Rashel was watching, felt her presence all around him, her question in the air.

_What is this?_

_When I became a murderer._

Her surprise reverberated through him and his name rang back and forth in her mind. It wasn't so much fear as concern for what this meant. He pushed further into the past, projecting what he wanted her to witness. Time to let the demons out of their cage. He could feel his mind whirl even though for the first time today, he felt calm inside.

_Darkness. Gradually, the soft flicker of flame. Six figures emerge, carrying torches and lighting their surroundings. The outlines of a large room, wooden beams stretching across the ceiling. Small impressions catch in the light. Pitchforks in a corner, stacks of hay along the far side, an oak table in the middle - a barn. _

_He has been here longer, already knows every detail about what the place holds. He's found the stakes concealed well in the dusty crates up in the loft. He knows exactly what these six men will speak about and also how to make sure their plans will never be carried out. It's his task and he won't fail. It's been a year and he knows himself now, knows his place in the world and knows that the scum he's spying on has no worth living. _

_They settle around the table now, leaning in close together, exchanging words. His hearing picks up the soft syllables anyway, understanding every word that is spoken._

"_The major needs to be informed. I've written the letter, it contains all the evidence he needs. I'll have it sent at first light. We cannot chance more disappearances," a deep voice grumbles, followed by a choir of affirmative murmurs._

"_We need to be certain, Benjamin, that he swears absolute secrecy. If the Redferns are as powerful creatures of death as we believe then we cannot proceed rashly. They have the devil's intentions. Imagine their fury if the major confronts them," another urges. Again, the hushed murmurs of indecision._

"_I will go myself. The man trusts my family. I will stand with my name for the truth I bring him. We can no longer look away as they continue spreading this curse throughout the colony"_

"_Witchcraft indeed," a burly one adds, "The Crawford's girl was found in the forest last week, pale as death and out of her mind. She can't recall anything but has nightmares that she will not speak of"_

"_That is their second child," a shake of heads, "Dorian is right, we must act"_

"_Please use your messenger to send word to our friends in the North. We will need support if we are to catch them by surprise. A family of four, it will be too difficult to handle them by ourselves," the first demands and he cannot help a smile that curls his lip in the shadows of his spot. The fools. As though any number of humans stand any hope of skewering even a single one of them._

_Hunter has been right all along. These men are bound by their stupidity, their naive belief that as a collective, they can fight evil. They haven't grasped that they stand below the likes of him. Kill or be killed. In their case, be killed. They have the brains to understand they are prey but the idiocy to trust they are above nature. _

_He uncoils from his place, moving silently as a snake through grass until it encounters its enemy. They do not see him. Believe themselves safe in their haven of wood. As though the building's materials make a difference to him. Neither does the holy water along its perimeter. It gives him joy. He revels in their ignorance._

_He wants to draw this out though. For the first time since his turning, he doesn't make quick work of it. In the two years he has been with him, Hunter has taught him restraint, self-control and discipline. His ability to drink without killing preserves their secret for longer periods of time. _

_It was earlier tonight that he took Quinn aside, looked him straight in the eye and instructed him to cause these men pain. He said he must realize that they deserve no merciful kill for the things they would have done to his family. He said that he is the only one he can trust to do it. Hunter knows honour; he knows when something must be done so Quinn didn't object. It is his first time doing this but he feels he could master it as easily as breathing. _

_Here, now, he wants to spill their blood. What he has heard has made his blood boil with anticipation. He will make Hunter proud._

_He grabs the first one around the middle, shoving a knee into his back and breaking the base of his spine. The scream of agony that escapes him as he falls is music to his ears as he rounds the table and rips the second one's arm in half. Bone protrudes out of flesh and the cries double as he too sinks onto the table, writhing and bleeding but not dead. _

_The remaining four have scattered but it is all too simple to round them up like sheep. Two have the sense to retrieve pitchforks and he leaves them for the moment, knowing the weapons will make no difference in their fight. The catches the man leaping for the door and slams a booted foot against the kneecap, sending him sprawling. _

_He is on him before the person can recover from the impact and his fangs sink into the chubby neck. He takes care not to bite too deeply, wanting to let him bleed for as long as possible. He steps on the ankle just for good measure, bone crunching under the force. He can't afford to have escapees. _

_Pitchforks face him as he turns and he dodges backwards into the dark. The torches have rolled everywhere, some gone out, some flickering. He is wary of the fire but knows he will have to use it tonight. The screams of his victims are peaking and although Hunter described it as miraculously empowering, he finds them irritating when he wants to concentrate. _

_He is growing tired of this game already. The two with the weapons are circling, back-to-back, peering into the dark corners of the barn to spot him. He can hear the last of them above him, creeping along the mouldy boards of the loft. The thought of facing an actual stake tonight excites him more than it should. He doesn't see how it could possibly be a lethal weapon in the hands of these imbeciles. _

_He shoots forward, taking a swinging pitchfork directly by its prongs to flip it into his own hand. The wide eyes and screaming mouth of the attacker doesn't deter him. He drives the tool into the man's abdomen, blinking when the blood hits his face. The body collapses into his partner who staggers. Perfect opening. Quinn doesn't even need to exert a muscle when he takes him by the collar and throws him right into the ceiling._

_There is the familiar yell of pain, followed by creaking wood and then the human smashes into the ground at his feet. Chunks of wood rain onto him and Quinn hopes there is enough life left inside the man to ensure the slow death meant for him._

_Even as a young boy, he had learnt quickly to save the best for last. He takes his time climbing the ladder up to the loft, patiently waiting for the last one to catch sight of him. It seems to be the one who spoke the most, appearing authoritative with drawn eyebrows and broad shoulders. One hand clutches the lit torch, the other a finely honed wooden stick. Quinn only smiles at him, wide enough to bare his teeth and earn a narrow-eyed glare from the human. The bravery is out of place but it is a challenge Quinn observes with pleasure. Perhaps he may even learn something more than how to massacre this evening._

"_Redfern's boy," the man utters and the disgust in his voice almost outmatches the anger, "Your soul can burn in hell"_

_He doesn't reply but advances, slowly enough to allow the other man to back away unconsciously. He is aware of the fire so close in his proximity but his eyes never stray from the human's face. The stare and smile are unnerving the man, he can see the tough resolve draining the closer he gets. The knees are quivering though his hands are steady. _

_Quinn sees the involuntary clenching of the hand a second before the man jerks forward, the wood aimed at his heart. He catches the weapon mid-lunge, wrenching it out of the hold before it even grazes him. It drops down into the barn. He doesn't see the torch coming though and suddenly his wrist is caught in the blaze of red embers. A hiss escapes his lips and he releases the man, jumping away from the heat. _

_He stares at his arm, where a black burn is visible, the scorched skin remaining raw instead of healing. Fire harms the undead. His head snaps up to snarl at the human. The man is shaking but triumphant and with a yell, releases the torch in a flying arc. Quinn darts away, comes full circle and throws the man to the ground as the bales behind him catch fire. _

_The eyes are wide with fright now but still the man tries to spit in his face. Quinn doesn't give him the chance. His hands come around the muscular neck, squeezing the life out of the body. The face flushes red; the human's limbs jerk and fight him all the way. He increases the pressure, minding the pain in his burnt arm and listening to the storm of noises around him. The cackle of the burning straw, the still constant screams under his feet and the receding breaths of the body he straddles. With a last clench, he breaks the windpipe in his grip and the man finally falls still, agony still written in his face._

_Quinn stands, stares down at the person who wished him down to hell without knowing he had already been there. Then he erases him from his thoughts. It is done. The spreading fire on his right comes to his attention and he drops back down to avoid the growing inferno. Some of the men he left here are dead, others on the brink. _

_He feeds on those he deems fit, feeling their tears run against him as he draws from their throats. The weakness they show sickens him. Despite proclaiming invincibility, these humans fear death and as he stares into the dimming eyes of one, he knows he has long since left those days behind. He is what they fear and he never wants that to change. _

_He takes the last of the torches that still burns and tosses is into the straw against the far wall. He exits the barn, listens to the blaze eating away at the wood and smiles to himself as he wanders back into the night. Humans are truly too easy to kill. _

He shook himself back to reality when Rashel pulled away from him. Suddenly the rapid change of stimulus on his senses had him feeling dizzy. No charred wood but clean, cool air. No pools of blood but the smooth carpet of their room. This was the 21st century, not the sixteen hundreds and he had left any family loyalty behind him.

He opened his eyes to see his soulmate across from him, eyes downcast and breathing rapidly. She was leaning against the wall, which he supposed they must have used for support when they were far away in another's minds. He felt slightly uncomfortable himself. Apparently opening the dark part of his soul to her had taken more out of him than he'd expected. He swallowed, moving aside to sit on the sofa. He ran a hand across his face as he shook the intensity of his memory off.

"That was four hundred years ago," he said when he caught his breath.

It took her another minute to have processed everything and when she finally replied, it was in a tone of wonder. "That was…your first?"

"Yes. And since then I've never stopped. At some point, it stopped being on Hunter's demand too. It was killing because I could and I enjoyed the reputation. It's almost a reflex"

She startled him with a scoff. "That's definitely more impressive than my first"

He didn't even know how to react to that. Exasperation? Amusement? She was a walking mystery to him. Just when he thought he could predict her response to what she'd just experienced through his eyes, she hit him with something unexpected. He simply stared at her, anticipating something more severe to come.

She rubbed her neck absently, probably not even realizing that she was tracing non-existent bite marks. "I understand. That was your life. You did it so much longer than me, I get that it's impossible to not think like that. I knew what I signed up for the moment we decided to fight on that enclave"

"I wanted to make sure you do. We can break this off," he spoke the words even though they tore at him, "I want to make this right"

"You just don't know how," she finished for him, nodding to herself. When he didn't dispute the claim she got up and went to crouch in front of him. She seemed to struggle with herself before deciding what to say, "Maybe stop punishing yourself for my sake. You're sorry, let's just move past this and continue what we've come here to do anyway – make up for what we have done. Become better people. Help save the world, you know"

He was about to answer when she held up a hand. "And the animal blood?"

"I'll do it," he agreed and meant it. Anything.

She smiled faintly at that and he couldn't help leaning down and placing a kiss on her forehead. It was a gesture of affection and protection and she didn't push him away. They remained there for a heartbeat before she wrapped her arms around him and clung to him like he'd been away for weeks. He couldn't say anything. He knew she felt his gratitude.

"You'll talk to Thierry as well?" she probed and despite already knowing that the conversation was bound to be an awkward exchange, he nodded into her shoulder.

"For a vampire hunter who lived on a grudge, you're very forgiving," he noted a minute later, rousing a small laugh from her. The mood lifted even though the subject matter was still serious. She pulled away.

"Maybe I don't want to lose the person that means the most to me because of an accident," she shrugged. They shared a look and he realized she had beat herself up about exactly the same things they entire day. He had been a constant presence in her thoughts as she had in his. There simply was no life without the other.

"Makes two of us," he replied softly.

"Just wait till I show you my first kill. I was terrible compared to you," she rolled her eyes and he actually managed a chuckle. With that, the subject finally dropped and she shifted to sit on the couch next to him.

She picked up her plate again and mock offered some to him before digging in. He would definitely need to feed tonight but he wanted to stay for the moment. For the first time since their spar, he felt at ease again. She let the television drone on and in their companionable silence, both of them let everything that had happened gradually drift to the back of their minds.

In the commercial break, she remarked, "We've been assigned to a mission"

The smile he could see betrayed how happy she was about it. "What kind?" he asked. He always preferred the facts first before moving any further.

"Ironically, it's an assassination," she turned to face him, seriousness back in her expression, "A team assembled by the Council. So I guess we can assume they are the best of the best. They've sent out to track a person that they believe is a Wild Power. We should have details of everything by the morning"

"So they've found one," he shook his head, "Hunter is really pulling all the strings"

"We don't know. Nothing is confirmed but Daybreak wants to cover all possibilities. Thierry has also sent for two more agents from somewhere else, so we'll be a group. We'll leave tomorrow if you agree"

"You honestly think I'd let you go on your own?"

"I hoped you'd say that," she grinned and nudged at his elbow, "You might want to get your wrist healed by the witches before we head off"

A glance at the clock told him it was around eleven. Almost witching hour. She was right though. Judging by the information she'd gotten, it would be wise to be as healthy as possible for this trip. He was already mentally going through plausible options for such a squad. Anybody at Hunter's disposal was likely to be a deadly fighter or talented tracker. Either way they'd have a challenge to deal with and on top of that with Daybreak agents they had never worked with. Sounded like a disaster in the making.

The wound throbbed to remind that his neglect of it during the day was paying off. Rashel looked tired as well, perhaps not so much from injury but the emotional rollercoaster of the past hours.

"I'll see you later," he told her and received a smile in return.

The infirmary was almost as secret as the training area, located in the basement floor of the mansion. Circle members knew but generally it served more as an experimenting lab for the witches. Spells were tested in the secluded rooms, potions brewed and whatever else these witches did in their free time. He'd never pursued an interest in witchcraft even though he knew Hunter's bloodline had mingled with them. To him they were a race best left alone with their work and beliefs. Marcus was an exception simply because he was of great use.

The corridor was quiet despite the fact that so close to midnight. He knew they liked to channel the energy at that time for spells. He'd witnessed a midnight ritual before and it wasn't an experience he wanted to repeat. No, the infirmary wasn't a place he particularly liked, mainly because he felt on edge in the presence of people channelling the natural powers. It went against his very being.

Thankfully, the first person he ran into was Marta, the oldest witch here whom everyone referred to as the mother of the mansion. She took one look at him, nodded and ushered him inside her office. She appeared the least discriminate of any of the inhabitants here and he'd heard that she had worked for the Circle ever since it's origin. She took one look at the stained bandage and clicked her tongue disapprovingly.

"Wood?"

He nodded and the disapproving look grew stronger. She unwound the dressing and immediately set to work. That was the thing he was glad for. The old lady asked no questions where she felt she did not need to know more details. She worked in silence apart from the occasional mutter of spells. Herbal remedies tended not to work on vampire flesh as the body had already died and the original life energy was gone. Injuries could only heal through magic or blood.

It barely took five minutes and not a single scar remained. Just as he set to leave, she grasped him around the wrist. The blue of her eyes was electric as she looked at him and said, "You keep out of trouble, boy. It's never a good sign when I have to start looking after vampires down here"

The absurdity of being called boy by a woman not even half his age passed right by him. The precognitive abilities of these Night People had always disturbed him slightly and this statement confused him. Did she mean to take care with Rashel? Was it a bad omen concerning the mission?

When she let him go, she gave him a pat on the back, which made the entire situation even stranger, and sent him on his way. He remained outside, watching the closed door for a good minute as though it could give him the answers he wanted. He came to a decision. He needed to speak with Thierry now before they were sent off.

By the time dawn broke over the horizon and their room gradually became tinted in morning light, he was back, sitting on the edge of the bed. He'd showered and changed but had forgone sleep. The conversation with the Night World Lord had taken far longer than anticipated and he'd returned with no intention of going to bed. He could nap on the flight. Instead he chose to watch the last couple of minutes over Rashel who was still asleep but he knew she was one to rise early once she settled into a routine.

She had very attuned senses for a human, he noticed. The moment the light changed in the room and tinged the floor in gold, her body seemed to register this. She rolled over to face the other wall, stretched and blinked her eyes open.

"Did you even sleep?" she yawned, then buried her face in the pillow once more.

He considered the half-muffled question. "Later"

She raised her head just enough to peek at him from the hollow of her pillow. "Sometimes I wish I was nocturnal. So much happens whenever I catch some sleep"

He cocked his head slightly, considering that. "Our agents arrived half an hour ago. I'm sure they're being briefed right now. And Nilsson sent up our gear. I don't think anyone told him you brought your own weapons"

That wiped any traces of tiredness off her face right away and she practically leapt out of bed and began pulling on a fresh shirt. He laughed while she was reprimanding him for not waking her earlier. By the time she was done and shuffling through the case of guns they'd been provided with, her eagerness had infected him.

The headed downstairs together, for all appearances still partners that were as solid as ever. Quinn didn't even have to sharpen his hearing to pinpoint the new arrivals in the kitchen. One voice was familiar, the other he couldn't recall knowing and the third was Descoudres himself.

The barely detectable scent of warmed blood and an overpowering bacon smell greeted him when he walked through the door. They approached the table upon Thierry's gesture and settled across from the two others. Quinn's attention was drawn first to the familiar tanned face of the werewolf, who nodded over at them, his mouth full of bacon and toast.

"Connor Reeves, you've met," the made vampire indicated, "And this is Nissa Johnson. One of our best stationed in North Carolina"

The expressionless vampire gave them each a formal nod. She didn't smile but Quinn preferred that air of professionalism about her. She seemed very much a clean cut, no nonsense kind of person. Even her physicality, the mink coloured bob framing a face with sharp cheekbones and calculating eyes, marked her efficient nature.

He could tell that Rashel was thinking along the same lines because she turned right back to Thierry and asked, "Have we missed anything?"

"I thought I'd leave the briefing until after breakfast. Nilsson will be responsible for getting everyone up to speed in the drawing room," he pushed a plate of pancakes her way then stood up, "You'll be handed everything you need. I just wanted to see you as a collective and wish you all the best. It's imperative that this mission succeeds. It's an enormous responsibility I am placing on your shoulders. I'm sorry for that but the fact is you are all top fighters. I'm certain you will give everything"

"Absolutely," the vampire confirmed. Her voice matched her looks, a smooth, near ghostly voice that was nothing but formal.

"Of course," Connor added, conviction showing. Thierry accepted this, gave each of them an encouraging look, lingering on the made vampire a second longer before leaving them.

Quinn's focus didn't linger on the ancient vampire but slid straight back to this mysterious Nissa Johnson. She was holding a tall mug with one hand, filled with blood no doubt. She caught him eyeing it and remarked coolly, "It's deer. There is more in the thermos"

He replied in the same indifferent manner, "You've been in Carolina long?"

"Yes," she stated, sipping calmly. She gave no more information, seemingly not interested in conversation. Or she had recognized him and purposely gave him the cold shoulder. Who knew? It was a small world after all. He could never know how many people he'd gotten on the wrong side of.

Rashel had picked up the conversation with Connor, asking about his previous work. Quinn poured himself from the flask and almost gagged on the taste. It was definitely an acquired preference, an entirely different substance altogether. The only familiar traits were the red colour and fluid state. He forced the lukewarm stuff down his throat and suppressed a grimace. This would definitely take time.

"Why were you picked?" the vampire had turned to Rashel with a raised brow, "You're human. Do you have any concept of what you're up against?"

Quinn immediately growled low in his throat but his soulmate only raised her head from her cereal and shrugged at Nissa. "I'm guess I'm the only one here who is very handy with a stake, sword, knife, spear, martial arts and has practice in the field"

"Vampire hunter," Connor added and Nissa immediately narrowed her eyes a fraction.

"And you're sure you aren't working on your own agenda? Everyone knows vampire hunters follow their own cults," she remarked. The expressionless voice did a good job at hiding the offense of the inquiry. Although he'd previously thought her practical, Quinn now found he had half the urge to break her legs under the table.

He tried to shake the thought off. Feuding before the mission even began would be a mistake not worth making. Being in love sure made it easier to fail with his judgement of who was a friend or foe.

"We have time to argue about my usefulness after we've gotten rid of those Council guys," Rashel waved it off, emptying her bowl, "Focus is on completing the task now. I don't care if you don't like me but we're going to have to work together. They win, we're all dead anyway. Okay?"

The vampire didn't look any less suspicious but after eyeing the dark-haired girl for several moments, she turned back to her drink. Then the first hint of an almost-smile tugged at her lips.

"You sound just like my boss"


	12. Mission

_Day 11, 14:33, Toronto_

"This is your expertise? Isn't this the kind of cover the CIA uses?" Rashel asked, leaning over the front seat of the range rover.

Connor snorted from the driver's seat and glanced over the rim of his sunglasses. "What did you expect? To walk right in and grab the Wild Power? This might be an offensive mission but until we can identify the Council's ambush, there's no point in all of us diving right in"

"I was talking about the suit and sunglasses," Rashel said dryly, "You should try to get cast for a crime show"

"The costume has to be convincing," he defended himself, "Nobody takes you for a serious parent when you come in jeans. Trust me, a secretary notices the clothes first. I think the businessman father was a good pick"

She didn't answer that but looked over at the assortment of buildings on the opposite side of the road. She wasn't even sure they were allowed to park here but she refrained from pointing that out. It was still quiet at this time of day but soon enough the flood of kids would be covering the area.

They'd stood here since their arrival in Canada. Quinn had gone out to patrol the perimeter five minutes ago and Rashel was getting edgy. Sitting in a car was really not her idea of a vantage point. It wasn't the best view either because all they could see was the main exit of the institution.

The public school they were watching from the vehicle showed no signs of anything abnormal taking place. Everything was as quiet as any regular day. There had been a couple of extremely late students and two or three parents but nobody even remotely supernatural. Rashel's sixth sense told her this was just the calm before the storm.

Daybreak had only been able to leech off Thierry's access to the Council's information. They'd been the second to know about the identity of the target, even if it was just several hours' difference, but that put them at the disadvantage. They had planned their exact approach on the plane between catnaps and reviewing the documents Nilsson had provided.

She glanced down at the open file on the backseat. The suspected Wild Power was a teenage boy, originally from Algeria but with Canadian heritage on his father's side. He'd moved across the Atlantic when he was ten and attended school in Toronto since then. A messy divorce later, he joined his mother in one of the less privileged districts in town and got himself a record with thieving and vandalism after the age of fifteen.

A typical case of the good life gone downhill. She'd seen a bunch of those. Not that the boy's personal history was of much relevance. She sat back to look at the photograph again. It was the unusual eyes that caught everyone's attention.

_One from the Day World where two eyes are watching…_

One green, one deep brown. They struck her as eerie in the way they stared at the camera. Both stood at beautiful contrast to the darker skin but were full of youthful contempt. He didn't appear to be aware of any special powers. Too bad these eyes made him a potential threat to the Night World. The guy probably didn't even know he was being hunted down.

She flipped another page, taking in the series of photographs, which had gotten him on the radar of the Council in first place. It wasn't any obvious capture of him exercising his powers but they held a barely perceptible flash of blue light. It was a chaotic image, many people holding signs on the street in some sort of a protest. In the background, an explosion, rimmed in blue light and the target, at that very second, facing straight at it.

Rashel furrowed her brow. All right, so it was convenient proof but these kinds of things happened everywhere. She couldn't see any real evidence why this kid should be directly connected to that incident only because he was present there. The Council sure didn't take chances when it came to this suspicion. The boy was human. Whether or not he truly was a Wild Power didn't matter - they were bound to kill him anyway even if it turned out he wasn't.

She slumped against the backseat, eyes firmly fixed back on the brick building. Connor appeared to sense her unease and told her, "Don't be anxious. We've got it all under control. When the final bell rings it'll get interesting"

When he said 'we', he meant Nissa. Rashel didn't exactly trust her with her life but she knew the girl would do an efficient job at any cost. Connor had slotted her in as an exchange student after arriving and she was in contact via a communication device. She'd pinpointed the target, Rayan Hamilton, and had been inconspicuously sitting in all his classes since then. She'd reported nothing threatening either.

It wasn't normal that not a single person had made a move yet. She couldn't believe that the Council had not taken any offensive action. That had to mean they planned something big. This reminded her of the enclave. A massive, efficient, secret operation that you didn't see coming until you were already involved. With the best of the best involved of course.

The minutes ticked by way too slowly. She was flipping her knife in between her fingers when she caught sight of Quinn. He stood in the shadow of the school building and was gesturing towards the car.

"Connor…" she started, but he'd already seen the signal.

"You stay with the car," he instructed while he opened the door, "When Nissa comes out with the target, take him inside and make sure he doesn't have any tracker of sorts on him. You're defending him with your life"

"Sure," she agreed, slipping through the middle into the driver's seat.

She watched him straighten his suit jacket and stride across the road with the authority of any working adult. She had to suppress a smile. The guy wasn't even out of his late twenties but in that outfit he gave the impression of a real professional. It was completely at odds with his bright personality when he wasn't on duty.

She watched him until he met up with Quinn, conversed for a moment and they vanished between the buildings. She drummed her hands against the steering wheel, keeping her eyes on the school. Early cars were already pulling in to pick up children after school. She held onto the communication device, waiting for the vampire to give a sign for action.

Minutes passed and the parking lot was filling up. Even the school buses had pulled in and were hovering near the side entrance. Rashel raised her head to keep everything in sight, glad for the tinted windows of the car that hid the interior. Then it came. The fateful ring of the final bell.

There were many beats where nothing happened and then it started like a dam breaking.

Doors flew open and kids of all sizes, ages and colours stormed out of the building. She had to focus hard to distinguish different heads from another as they criss-crossed over the school campus and parking lot. At least half wandered onto the road to go on foot. She cursed under her breath, realizing that there was no opening for a fast getaway in the next ten minutes.

Underneath it all, she felt a strange melancholy. Not too long ago she'd still gone to school, sat through all these classes with same kind of kids, excelled at sports and battled with calculus. Even though she'd never paid much attention to grades, she did miss the easygoing atmosphere of high school where half the population gave it their all and other half just didn't care.

She wondered if she would ever complete senior year.

Her pondering was cut short when she spotted the mink hair in the crowd. That explained the cackling coming from the device. The noise level was just way too high to distinguish anything. She followed her teammate with her eyes as she turned out of the school gate and headed left after a group of boys.

The vampire was moving steadily, advancing on the bunch from behind. One of them caught sight of her and nudged his friend. The guy turned around to face Nissa and flashed a grin. From the expression on his face as he spoke with her, it was obvious he was hitting on her. The girl didn't think to smile back but turned to the third one of the group.

Rashel had no doubt it was the target. She quickly scanned the area around them for any sign of an advancing danger but in the chaos it wasn't easy. She moved her attention back around just in time to see Nissa virtually dragging away the suspected Wild Power and his friends whistling from behind.

She didn't head straight to the car but into the park on the opposite side and Rashel understood immediately. They were going to head around in a circle to throw off any suspicion. She pulled out the gun that Connor had insisted on, resting it on her thigh just in case. The road was gradually clearing of people going on foot but now the buses were off, blocking the route. She was multitasking unconsciously by keeping her focus on everything and nothing while loading the pistol. She switched on the radio, turning up the news to catch anything out of the ordinary nearby.

She wondered why Nissa wasn't reporting in but remained patient. If there was one thing she knew was essential for teamwork to be a success, it was obedience. If she abandoned her post, the entire strategy would have to be rethought. Being a martial artist meant she had exceptional body control but right now, she couldn't help the twitching of her leg. She didn't like being caught inside just observing.

Connor wasn't coming back, neither was Quinn. Not a good sign either.

She barely had any warning when the back door was thrust open and the car practically lurched with the force of the body being tossed inside. Rashel twisted around sharply to see the target sprawled across the backseat, thrashing against the vampire that came in after him. Nissa just rolled her eyes and instructed Rashel to lock the doors.

The safety clicked into place and the guy pressed himself into the corner, looking back and forth between the two with panic written all over his face.

"I've searched his things," the vampire said shortly, shrugging out of her jacket, "He's got nothing on him"

"What the hell?! You said…shit, who the hell are you? What the fuck do you want?" the boy was babbling, near-yelling and obviously trying to shove as many obscenities into his speech as possible. As though that helped.

He tried knocking on the window only to realize that they were too dark for anyone to see. Screaming for help was also futile with the noise outside and the radio being too loud for his attempts to be fruitful in any way. He was too panicked to be rational though, Rashel could see that even from the front seat. He clearly did not understand that they were only doing this for the time being.

She was dying to ask Nissa what she'd been saying to him on the brief journey through the park but she had to keep the situation contained. Once he started doing insane things like throwing himself around to get someone's attention, they'd have a problem. She turned to the boy briefly, catching the bi-coloured gaze.

"Listen, we're not robbing you, we're not going to hurt you. All you've got to do is keep quiet for a bit until we can let you go. Stop freaking out."

"Who is _we_?" he persisted, tugging at the door handle for good measure. It didn't do him any good. There was just a hint of an accent in his voice and he looked both pissed off and frantic, "What do you want?"

"This is for your safety," Nissa interrupted, "The less you struggle the less I'll be inclined to tie you up"

That did it. The young man's eyes widened and apparently his throat closed up at the suggestion of bondage because his protests dimmed immediately. He kept himself pressed into the corner where he was able to have the two of them in his line of sight but kept still. Rashel caught the vampire's eye in the rear view mirror but the mink-haired girl didn't return the concerned look.

"Any idea where the others are?"

"I haven't been in contact in any other way," she shook her head, leaning forward to drop her wireless transmitter beside the receiver, "Too risky. We could get intercepted now. They're probably around so I tried to get out of there quickly. I also had to deal with the kid"

"Well…" Rashel started but was cut off by the feeling of something cold pressing against her neck. She was disoriented for a second before realization hit. Immediately, she was furious with herself for not being prepared, for neither of them noticing what he was doing.

The kid was holding a gun to her head.

Even Nissa did a double take at the smooth, subtle motion with which the boy had pulled out the weapon from his backpack. That spoke of experience with holding one of them. The click of the safety coming off was much too loud in the sudden silence. Even the sounds of the radio seemed far away.

Who in their right mind sold high school kids guns nowadays? She knew from his fact file that he had just turned seventeen. There was no way his mother would pack him a gun along with his lunch. Though a kid with his record, it could be a stolen weapon.

"Unlock the doors," he said and although his voice trembled fractionally, he was serious, "You're going to let me out"

Rashel actually snorted at the request. How had he misinterpreted her previous words? This was a very temporary thing and they weren't going to lay a hand on him. She supposed after Nissa using force this wasn't the most believable statement but seriously, this was how he thought the problem could be solved?

The vampire had also composed herself. Both she and Rashel knew that a bullet would be faster then a vampire reflex in this case. There was too little distance between them. If the kid pulled the trigger, she would be a splatter across the windshield. Despite Nissa's skill, this situation was irresolvable. As a human, Rashel wouldn't heal from a headshot.

The vampire's voice was toneless when she said, "If we do that all of us are dead"

Rashel couldn't see the target's face but she imagined the mismatching eyes bouncing to Nissa. Despite her words, the resolve remained. "You're lying. For god's sake, this is a school! Open the fucking doors or I'll shoot you. I swear I will. This is kidnapping!"

"You're going to murder me?" Rashel snapped, her patience running out. She didn't like the icy feel of the gun on her skin, "You're going to kill someone who's trying to help"

"Help with _what_?" he yelled. She sensed he was reaching snapping point when he jabbed the weapon into her ear. Maybe the kid didn't have the guts to shoot someone in cold blood but she could imagine an accidental death thanks to his nerves breaking. His voice was rising again. "You're making all of this crap up. Unlock them!"

She closed her eyes, let out her breath. When she opened them and met Nissa's again, they both knew they couldn't win this one. They'd made a momentary mistake. This was an issue they had come prepared for and she couldn't come up with a solution where they all walked away unharmed. Rashel gave in and flipped the switch.

The target practically ripped the door out in his flight and Nissa was out right behind him, giving chase. Rashel saw no other option. This was getting out of hand. She disobeyed Connor's instructions, dipped down to grab her gun that had fallen in the hassle, ditched the car and ran.

The kid was fast for a human but Nissa easily caught up within ten metres. Thankfully the road was almost empty by now, save for a couple of people hanging around beside the school premises. The boy hadn't headed towards there but away from the buildings, trying to cover as much ground as possible. Not a smart move but then again, he was the one clutching the gun in his hand. Rashel bet he had expected them to be intimidated enough to leave him alone.

She'd just cleared the road when Nissa tripped up the boy and sent him sprawling on the pavement. He had enough momentum to roll, skid and come to a stop on his back. Rashel cried out in warning but the shot went off before a word could leave her mouth. Nissa jerked forwards as the bullet hit her point blank in the stomach and she fell onto hands and knees.

Rashel didn't have time to worry about the vampire. She knew regular bullets would have little lasting effect. But the noise had set off everyone surrounding the area. They'd have an audience in no time. In the worst case, he'd also alerted his attackers.

She didn't pause in her approach and sprung right at him, knocking the weapon out of his hand. The guy's hands were all over the place but he managed to shove her backwards and she flipped with the force, landing in her offensive position. She needed to subdue him.

That's when she felt it. It was the shiver down her spine she could never pinpoint exactly. That tingling that told her she had vampires to deal with. A glance over the boy's head confirmed her suspicions. Right there, in the middle of the pavement and coming towards them, were two.

She was torn between protecting the kid, although he was making her job difficult, and moving straight into offense. If she knocked him out now to halt his struggling, it would be simple for them to grab him. If she didn't he might get himself killed in the process anyway by being obstructive. The precious seconds of a head start were lost in her contemplation.

She silently prayed her plan worked, yelled over her shoulder, "You take him," and ran. The vampires were almost upon them so she leapt past the kid who was beginning to scramble to his feet and raised her own gun. This one stocked with wooden-tipped bullets.

The first shot went wide but it succeeded in catching the leeches' attention. She was firing in quick succession, hoping to distract rather than injure because she knew she was no good with firearms. The second shot hit one in the torso, the third scraped the other's face but by the time she got to the fourth, they were too close. She tossed the gun backwards blindly, hoping Nissa was near enough to grab it for security.

Then she went into combat mode. It felt strange in daylight, right in an open, public place and with her face completely revealed but she had no time to dwell on that. The dark-skinned vampire's foot slammed into her hip and she had to dance sideways with the force in order to reduce its impact. Right into the arms of the second vampire.

It was anything but ideal and as two arms came around her chest and squeezed, hard, she could see how stupid her approach had been. Even though she'd shot him straight on, he wasn't weakening yet. She could only guess how old this guy was.

Her ribs were being crushed and in a matter of second the snapping would start. She fished her knife out of her waistband and stabbed backwards. The pained groan in her ear told her she'd hit and she twisted the blade for good measure.

The pressure gave way and she jumped forwards, ripping her knife out as she went. The second one was advancing on the spot where Nissa was currently wrestling with the kicking human boy. Rashel took deep breaths as she propelled herself forward as silently as possible on the pavement.

All she could think of was the goal. If she failed to stop them now, all this preparation would have been futile. Thierry's trust in them would be disappointed. This was different from her hunts for revenge; this was a duty to a group of people. She was a protector.

Before she could collide with the leech though, the man turned and caught her around the throat. It was so sudden, so precise. She could only marvel at his abrupt speed. She choked as the vice grip forced her to a sudden stop but her arm was still moving, slamming her knife in between the man ribs, driving it as far as it could go. He flinched, his face contorted but he didn't let up.

He was powerful and in a better position than her. This was worse than with Quinn. Maybe it was because this vampire still had heaps of energy or maybe it just felt this painful because her neck was still bruised.

She felt her muscles complain with the oxygen supply cutting off. She was sure her face was flushing with effort as she grappled against the hold. Her feet were dangling already but she didn't have the power to move her limbs into a proper hold. She imagined she could feel his fingers already closing in around the neck, almost touching her spinal cord. He could snap her like a twig any moment now.

The tightness was unbearable and her eyesight grew hazy alarmingly fast. In her limited field of vision she saw him bare his teeth in a grin. Her ears picked up words but she couldn't process them anymore. "I remember you. You nearly burned me alive"

Then came the real pain. She hadn't felt the teeth break her skin but she felt him take blood from her. She couldn't move, she couldn't scream. Everything was immobile and fading. She felt like a tiny speck falling into an endless spiralling darkness, being sucked right into the centre of a black hole. This was a million times worse than a chokehold. She was helpless.

Things were going dark around her until suddenly the pressure was gone.

The ground slammed into her as she fell and she lay there for a moment, breathing rapidly against the tarmac. God, if her throat had hurt before, it was practically on fire now. Her senses came rushing back and along with that, the disgust as she felt the blood on her face.

She felt the urge to retch right there and then. She could feel her body again and with it, the exact areas of pain. He'd bitten into her lip, drawn blood right from her most vulnerable point. She tried to regain her zanshin but the fury seemed to drown out everything else. She was beyond angry.

He was the first one since she had started hunting that had managed to bite her.

Somehow, miraculously, she raised her head and pushed herself into a crouch to see what had happened. The strangler lay beside her facedown, bullet holes staining his back red. A glance beyond the body showed Nissa hauling a limp person across the road back towards the car, Rashel's gun in her hand. She'd just saved her life.

She felt the urge to cry out in relief but her throat wasn't capable of words yet. She coughed violently as she tried to use them. She hoped dearly the man hadn't damaged her vocal cords. She scrambled away from the massive body. He wasn't mummifying but she knew they'd inevitably have to deal with human witnesses later.

She forced herself back onto her feet, turning to see that the spot where the other vampire had been was empty. She was reflexively on full alert again, spinning full circle to see where he'd gone. She'd hit him in the groin; he couldn't have gotten far with wood poisoning spreading through his body. She needed to take him out as well. They couldn't afford any news to get to Hunter before they'd gotten the target to safety.

She took off at a slow run, wincing against the pain in her throat as she tried to gain speed. She ignored the people who screamed and pointed and were dialling for help. She was limited on time and they still didn't know to where Quinn and Connor had disappeared.

She'd almost rounded a corner when a movement caught her eye. She darted aside, pressing against the wall and peeking into the side street where she'd just seen the flash. Her peripheral vision had picked up on him. He was hobbling into a populated area, stumbling straight into a complex of apartment buildings. In the centre of the open space there was a playground.

For a moment Rashel stood still. She was bewildered and her mind working a hundred miles a minute. Why would he choose to walk straight into the sunlit space full of humans? That was both weakening for him and he could easily expose himself when the effect of the wounds forced him to show his true face.

The blood drained from her face as he realized. He was looking for a quick feed.

Her gaze fell to the couple of children on the swings across the grass and her feet broke into a sprint before she finished the thought. There was no way she was going to stand by and let this happen. Not for all the Wild Powers in the world.

He sensed her of course with her recklessness but he was sluggish, his movements stunted as he turned. He didn't let her get close though. At the last second, she felt pure, mental energy slam into her and she lost her footing. She landed on the lawn, her head falling back against the hard packed earth. Her vision went hazy again and she had trouble controlling her muscles. This was bound to become a concussion.

The vampire stooped down and pulled her up by the front of her shirt. Good, that saved her from having to waste energy on getting up. She let him, giving the illusion of a struggle as he ripped her to her feet. Then she went limp, leaning back against his hold on her clothes before slamming her knee into his groin.

She ended up falling again as he let go but caught herself on her hands, scissoring her legs up as gravity took her down. He was doubled over and it was almost easy to hook her feet around his neck and throw him over her head. She twisted, keeping her hold and only relaxed when she felt the final snap.

She slumped forward, trying to catch her breath. If two more of the sort came forward now, she would probably lose. When she finally found the strength and willpower to get to her knees, the children were gone. The swings were swaying at random intervals and the seats empty.

Rashel groaned, gathering her feet under her. She wasn't bleeding excessively but fatigue from the battering was spreading through her body. She wanted to touch her lips but they were burning enough without her smearing dirt all over them. Her first priority was the body.

She glanced up to see heads already sticking out of surrounding windows and knew it was time to leave. She grabbed the dead vampire by both shrivelled legs and pulled him down the shadows of the narrow side street through which he'd crossed into the complex. By a dumpster, she quickly emptied a trash bag, wrinkling her nose and stuffed him inside as fast as possible, knotting the top. Then she rolled him behind several half-open bags to cover the smell and moved on.

She could already hear the sirens approaching and she waited, concealed in the side street until four vehicles shot by. She hoped Nissa had taken the car and left. Rashel could find her own way but their priority was to get the kid to a safe place if the threat was still unclear.

She couldn't risk going back to dispose of the other man's body so she straightened her clothes and walked in the other direction. There was no other choice. If she hung around, she'd surely be arrested. She tried to look as inconspicuous as possible although the smell of trash clinging to her didn't help. She just kept walking, head kept low and awareness fully spanned out.

Nobody intercepted her and with the exception of a homeless man, nobody spoke to her either. She distanced herself from the crime scene and with every hundred metres, the questions heaped. Where was Quinn? What about Connor? Had they also encountered Hunter's minions? Had Nissa gotten the target out of reach? Had all of them escaped?

She eventually changed directions and headed downtown. They'd agreed on an emergency meet up if things didn't go according to plan and she needed someone to give her directions. She questioned a couple, which provided her with answers and avoided any comment on her rumpled look or bleeding face.

When she finally stood outside the museum, her feet were killing her. The gorgeous architecture couldn't even capture her attention. She leaned against the glass exterior near the entrance and closed her eyes for a moment. She'd been reaching out through the soulmate link the entire time she travelled and although she could feel he was alive, there had been no reply. She was tired and had no idea whether they'd succeeded or not.

When she asked someone for the time she was surprised how late it was. She kept looking up and down the road, waiting to glimpse a familiar face. The sun kept sinking and she moved to sit on a nearby bench when her legs threatened to give out. Her head had begun to thud and she was pretty sure she'd concussed herself properly. At least the bite on her lip had stopped bleeding.

She must have looked as though she'd been mugged.

She'd been waiting two hours when a car honked at her from the drop off road. At first she didn't pay attention but after it came to a stop right in front of her, honking twice again, she pulled her head up. The window was rolled down and Connor's swollen face smiled at her. "You need a ride?"

She didn't need to be told twice. She slowly walked over, pulled open the back and let herself fall into the seat. Nissa was in the front, already pealing the car away from the curb and speeding away. She could barely pay attention though. Quinn was in the back and the moment she'd shut the door behind her, he pulled her across and was holding her as though he expected never to see her again.

It was the best feeling after today's fiasco.

_For God's sake Rashel, you almost…you're okay? _Even his mental voice sounded as though he'd been stewing in his worries for the past hours.

_I'm okay. _She hugged back equally fiercely before the clearing of a throat brought her back.

"Seatbelts," the mink-haired vampire stated coolly as she took the exit onto the main road.

Rashel had to laugh shakily at the request and scooted back across to her side, keeping her eyes on Quinn's though. Relief was apparent in his face and she was sure hers mirrored the sentiment. She automatically looked him over for injury but whatever had been had already healed.

"Glad you could join us," Connor announced from the front, easygoing as ever, "I mean, if you wanted to go sightseeing, you could have just said so"

She was too worn out to come up with a witty answer. Her words still came out raspy. "By the time I was done the police were on site. I figured the best way to go was as far away as possible. People had seen me."

"Good thinking," he agreed, "We had to find the next rental place and get another car once we had a minute to breathe. How many bodies on your side?"

"Two," she said but Nissa corrected her from the front, "One" Rashel switched her gaze to the rear view mirror but the vampire's ones were focused on the road. She continued without looking back at her, "The first one made it out. The bullets didn't do it"

"What? And the witnesses?" Rashel couldn't hide her disbelief.

"I didn't have the time to wipe everyone's memory around. I don't think he let himself be seen either though. They won't have any security camera footage of the fight since we were on the park side."

"Right," she accepted that, even though the news had her feeling cold. She had failed on that note. Trying to shove the thought aside, she relayed her part, "I hid the second one in the trash. I don't think anyone will check the bags. The body is probably going to be crushed in the transport anyway"

"Good, at least that's solved," the werewolf sounded pleased, "And thanks to Nissa, the boy is in Daybreak's safe house. He's not our responsibility anymore. Good coordinating, you two. Apart from the shock and the knockout, I was told the boy wasn't in bad shape"

"What about you? Where were you?" she aimed the question at Connor but looked over at Quinn, her eyebrows raised in question. Her soulmate looked grim as she brought it up.

"There were three more that I picked up on earlier. They were closing in from the back, probably to circle the target when he left the school premises. I thought it would be a good idea to intercept them before they got close. I guess the other two came from public transport because they weren't there when I checked the area"

"Smart set-up," Connor pointed out, "But they didn't anticipate us in their equation. The only problematic part was the witch. Those Midnight witches are vicious," he paused, then looked over his shoulder at her, "Speaking of witches – do you need attention?"

"It's not a big deal," she shrugged despite herself, self-consciously brushing a thumb over her chin, "I got…bitten"

"Bitten?"

It was so soft-spoken that the rest of the car fell silent immediately. This was the deadly Quinn, the one that would stop at nothing when infuriated. It was an open threat to whoever had done this to her. She stared at the headrest of the front seat instead of facing him. It had happened and even though she could understand his anger perfectly, it had been taken care of.

"The vampire that Nissa shot. He recognized me. He'd seen my face before. I think…" she stopped as a memory fell into place, "He was at the enclave, Quinn. You knew him"

He was instantly tense beside her. "What did he look like?"

"He was tall. Dark skin. African-American probably. He was stronger than most vampires I've fought. He would have killed me"

She didn't have to add 'if Nissa hadn't acted'.

"Azarius," he muttered.

It was a name that meant nothing to the others but everyone could sense the furious aura around the made vampire.

There were several moments of silence. Even the two in the front didn't have anything to say and eventually Connor reached over to turn on some music. The tension didn't dissipate and she felt the dark eyes on her.

Rashel felt more naked than ever before. Wistfully, she thought of her scarf. She didn't want him to look at the teeth marks. She shouldn't have mentioned it at all. They weren't like the battle scars she usually carried with pride. She had more than enough on her body from years of training and hunting. Never a single bite though. She didn't know how she'd always avoided the most likely injury.

She was ashamed she'd lost control to the point where she hadn't been able to stop it. It was a deeply ingrained fear for every vampire hunter. Being bitten was the equivalent to having one's spirit broken. Even though she'd won this round with a little help, the battle had been a loss. She hadn't been at her best today.

Hands gently took her chin and turned her face towards him. She dropped all resistance. The protectiveness she saw in his eyes made her want to smile and cry at the same time. It was an expression with which nobody had looked at her for too long. Nobody had cared that much since she was five years old.

_That shouldn't have happened. He shouldn't have done that to you. _This was a whole different kind of falling. Not the one she felt absolute paralyzed against. Right now, she could just collapse into his penetrating gaze.

Rashel could feel everything through the link - his absolute indignation at the punctures on her lip, at the fact that he hadn't been there to prevent it, at himself for not upholding yet another one of his promises.

She held onto his hand when it dropped from her jaw. _Unless one of us could be in two places at once, nobody could have stopped it. I'm alive. You're alive. Everything's fine._

He looked ready to retort something else but thought the better of it. He sighed, grazing his thumb over her hand. _I think we should go on vacation when this is over._

That had her smiling. _Maybe a vampire-free island?_

_You read my mind._

Before she could relax entirely into the seat and simply bask in the comforting presence of everyone around and alive, she remembered the most important thing.

"Nissa?"

She didn't look back at her but from the tilting of her head, Rashel could see she was listening. She swallowed, feeling the ache in her throat and reminding herself that it could have been worse. So much worse.

"Thanks, for earlier. You could have just left with the target. Honestly, you were great today," she told her and was entirely sincere, "I wouldn't be here otherwise"

The cool eyes darted upwards, meeting Rashel's in the mirror. For the first time since they met this morning, she looked pleasantly surprised. Her tone was professional, as ever when she responded, "No problem". Then she broke off, briefly concentrated on the traffic before adding, "I take back what I said about you being incompetent"

"And my own agenda?"

There was actually the smallest hint of a smirk she could see on the vampire's profile. "I guess not. You make a decent Daybreaker"

"I told you we'd get there," Rashel winked over at Quinn. He just rolled his eyes and reached for her hand without another word. He didn't let go until they reached the airport.


	13. History

_Day 12, 06:42, Las Vegas_

The individual briefing was possibly the most strenuous part of the entire mission. That was one thing Quinn refused to get used to – having to report back to a higher power. Even when he'd been working for Hunter or something of the sort, he'd never caved in to the idea that he should be placed beneath anyone. He'd been too powerful in status for anyone to dare.

Here in Daybreak, despite the familiar atmosphere, there was a clear distinction. He was obliged to report to Thierry directly and never leave out a single detail of what he'd seen, heard and done. Obviously there was no way around it. It was a procedure needed for efficiency and safety. Circle Daybreak was still an organization and had to be run as such.

Still, with every minute he sat facing the older vampire, he felt himself become increasingly sidetracked. He wanted to see Rashel again. He needed to be with her, convince himself that she wasn't as badly hurt as he'd feared. Despite her seeming well, she'd been distant ever since they'd boarded the flight back from Canada.

He sighed, letting the sequence of events run through his head one more time. After they had managed to win their fight, both with a fair amount of superficial wounds, they'd checked the area and found neither the girls nor the getaway car but a bunch of police. Quinn had been on edge instantly but refused to let it affect him as they relocated to the nearest safe house.

The found their vampire partner already waiting, practically unscathed but alone. If Rashel's absence hadn't been unnerving enough, the moment Nissa mentioned what had happened; Quinn's stomach had dropped. This was new, this deep-rooted fear for someone other than him. It made him sick and had his insides crawling at the thought that she might not have been as lucky to escape.

He'd shut off at that point. His injuries didn't matter; neither did the fact that they'd accomplished what they'd come to do. In fact, he had about as much interest in the target as in staying put for longer than necessary. He had barely looked at the suspected Wild Power and left in search for his soulmate without a backward glance.

He'd never been more glad to see her alive. The story that Nissa had told them in brief on the way to the negotiated checkpoint had been horrible enough in his head. He'd envisioned Rashel dead, drained, broken, abducted, shot, in every irrational scenario possible.

Spotting her on the street, ragged, bruised but breathing, his relief had engulfed him and left him feeling dizzy. All self-control had vanished and he hadn't even tried to stop himself from holding onto her when she'd stepped into the car. Professionalism and reputation be damned, he couldn't control his reaction.

He hadn't had time to speak to her privately on the flight back because she'd practically fallen unconscious, exhausted. He had stared at the deep punctures on her lip as she dozed, keeping the anger at the man inside him. He'd wanted to explode the moment she'd said the words in the car but held it back. It wasn't the time or place to rage about something he couldn't change. Not that it stopped him from wishing that Azarius should wander into his path very soon.

The hours flew by as he kept watch over her but it seemed barely a minute until they were back and being picked up by Nilsson. There just hadn't been an opportunity for him to be alone with her for a moment since their return and now he was sitting here, droning away about things that had already been said.

Thierry seemed to finally grasp that he wouldn't get more details than strictly requisite out of him and dismissed him. "She should be downstairs, getting herself fixed up. I sent her to the witches," he added helpfully and when Quinn met his gaze, he could see the understanding in the ancient vampire's face. He'd almost forgotten that the man had a soulmate too, wherever she was.

He stopped by the kitchen on his way, heating himself more of the stocked blood. It had taken more than usual out of him to fight after distancing himself from the regular diet and he'd been abnormally thirsty the entire way back. His pride and worry had stopped him from paying attention to that.

He gulped down the substance as rapidly as he could, taking care not to keep it on his tongue too long. It alleviated the residing ache from the injuries but only stilled his hunger marginally. He couldn't fathom how he'd ever come to like it but perhaps that was all part of the self-control. The principle was to embrace something that didn't come naturally to become stronger in resistance to human blood.

He furrowed his brow as he finished and washed the taste down with some water. He didn't have time to waste on this. He was nowhere near satiated but it could wait. He could always hunt live game later when he didn't have this uncertainty gnawing at him.

The soulmate bond was fainter when he wasn't touching Rashel but he felt her emotions nevertheless. He couldn't quite pinpoint it, never having been an expert on feelings but it was agitated, a frenzy that was completely at odds with her previous calm when they'd picked her up in Toronto.

She wasn't in the infirmary anymore when he checked but her consciousness kept hovering on the edge of his mind. The emotional plunge he felt in his head was growing. He didn't know where this sudden alarm came from; he hadn't felt anything like it from her before. Either he'd missed something or the mission had taken more out of her than she'd let on.

Following his next instinct, he headed upstairs to their room. He pushed the door open, scanning the interior until his gaze landed on the hunched figure. She sat on floor in the corner between the bed and dresser. The top of her head just cleared the large mattress; otherwise he wouldn't have spotted her. It looked exactly like she'd intended to be out of sight for anyone coming in.

The distress he'd sensed before was tangible now. With new shock, he noticed that her shoulders quivered every so often. She was crying.

For a moment he simply froze where he was. This wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening. He had handled nearly every situation imaginable but he'd never come close to consoling anyone in the past hundred odd years. He hadn't had any inclination to display empathy because there hadn't been anyone worth caring about.

Out of the little experience he had, he felt that anyone upset was best left alone until they snapped out of it. With Rashel, he couldn't, wouldn't do that. This situation almost troubled him more than the vision of her with broken bones and bleeding. He was out of his depth. This just didn't fit into his picture of the usually composed vampire hunter.

He edged forward, rounding the large bed to stand in front of her even though she must have already felt his presence. She didn't turn her face up to look at him. Between taking shaky breaths, she insisted, "Don't…it's not…leave it alone, Quinn"

He kept his eyes on her, trying to read her body language when the shaky words didn't tell him anything. He should be glad she was asking him to back off and leave her to regain her composure. But standing here, seeing her suffer in silence, it was impossible. He didn't want rejection when he was trying to be someone for her to confide in.

After the previous night, he'd believed they'd breached a barrier between them. She understood him better even after he'd done her wrong and he was still trying to get past her defences and learn everything there was to Rashel Jordan. He wanted to be what she needed. Even if he didn't have any idea how.

"Because I don't understand?" he countered, crouching down to her level, "You said we're done keeping secrets"

He'd seen people sob and hiccup uncontrollably, collapse onto the ground or yell in choked voices without making sense. She was silent when she cried. The tears slid down and apart from her uneven breathing, she was quiet. Always controlled, always repressed. It wasn't hard to guess that she didn't want to let anyone see an emotional side.

She was trying to contain the tears, inhaling deeply to calm herself. He couldn't look at her face behind the curtain of dark hair but he could see the drops that kept falling from her chin. She was trembling despite the warmth of the room.

"You can't understand this. It was…" her shoulders quaked again and she pressed her lips together for a moment, wiping furiously at her cheeks, "It's too much"

He didn't reply, knowing nothing he said would make the issue disappear. That was apparently the problem here – the world bearing down on her shoulders. He was reminded that she was still just a teenager, barely reaching adulthood by human standards. She'd been through so much more than the average person. Far more than he'd even dreamed of handling at that age.

He reached out for her slowly and touched his hand to her drawn up knees. He couldn't think of anything else to do but try and distract her from whatever was eating at her. She raised her head at his movement and he felt a strange tug inside him at the red gaze and distraught expression. It was as though the Rashel he'd met and come to know was crumbling right in front of him. It just didn't make sense and it was killing him to have her here in front of him but not know how to reach her.

"Tell me," he demanded.

Glassy eyes blinked before shutting him out. She twisted her head aside, trying to bury back into her knees. Quinn caught hold of her arm, squeezing hard enough to make her snap back to attention. He wasn't about to let her disappear into a shell he couldn't break through. He didn't plan to invade her mind with the contact but suddenly found himself flooded with her thoughts.

He almost recoiled voluntarily. Her mind was entirely consumed; the glimpse he got wasn't a pretty picture. The sheer anguish was a state he personally wasn't familiar with but had often enough been the cause of.

Rashel flinched away faster than him. She leapt to her feet the instant he broke through her defences, tearing away from the grip. He had to rely on his reflexes to avoid getting knocked over. Backed against the bed, she glared at him through the tears. She looked and sounded much like a trapped animal as she hissed, "Why can't you just take my word for it?! You can't help me with this!"

"Underestimating me again," he replied. He made sure to keep his voice level and followed her movements, remaining right opposite her, "What is this about? The realization that you have a weakness?"

The despair was disappearing from her face. She looked downright vexed now that he'd hinted at a problem that hit home more precisely than either of them had realized. She wiped her palm against her wet cheeks, looking furious that her body was betraying her feelings. "Why are you pushing this? I don't want to talk about it"

"You're afraid," he stated. He was treading dangerous waters by suggesting this but what else could have caused her to break down like this? "You don't want to say you failed"

"Jesus, Quinn!" her voice was rising through the tears, incredulous, "You don't get it! You think I'd be sitting here crying about one fight that I lost? That I'm pathetic enough to refuse to talk about something that trivial because I'm _ashamed_?"

He was stunned for a second. He'd never pictured Rashel as capable of bursting out so wildly and even more, that she'd taken such offense from what he said. The inexplicable urge to steel himself for an attack overcame him. She looked as much on the fringe of losing grip as he had in the training room. She wasn't done though. Apparently he'd pressed a button that had no reverse.

"You can't understand what's happening here! It's a million things on top of each other that just keep piling and I'm trying to deal with them. I thought I had it sorted until yesterday! Since I was five, all I knew was protecting myself. I never had anyone holding my hand. I thought I was tough enough to head into the unknown after the enclave. But all of this…running, people dying – people close to me, my identity uncovered, dealing with strangers that could backstab us any moment, trusting people that were always my enemies! It seemed so simple to just not think about it, to let it pass me by and just focus on us. But it's not"

He was honestly shocked by the depth of what he was hearing. Despite their growing closeness and the trust that had been built, he'd failed to think about how much their journey affected her. She'd never hinted that she was against the direction they were heading in.

In a way, he had taken her out of her comfort zone and pulled her deeper into his world when she hadn't exactly asked for it. They'd gone his way instead of trying to mix in with the human world because they knew that option would never have worked. Rashel wasn't one to be timid and had accepted the challenge but evidently her nerves of steel had a limit.

She spoke up again when he remained silent, staring out the window without seeing anything.

"Being the Cat, the vampire's nightmare…sometimes it was impossible. Sometimes I just wanted to be a human who'd never heard of the Night World. Then it was fine again because being that made me untouchable. It meant I was in charge," she paused to breathe, rubbing her hands over her drying face again, "You can't know what being the victim feels like. It's the lowest point. I'd rather he'd choked me to death than having been his prey. I chose this life to make sure they could never touch me. People like Hunter were never meant to have the upper hand over me. That was the only thing I could control in my life. Now, a goddamn parasite sucked my blood just because he could, because he had complete power over me. Exactly what I've been running away from my whole life happened and it's something you can't understand. Stop trying to fix it"

They stood there staring at each other, one in surprise and the other in exhausted anger. Then Rashel stopped, sinking onto the edge of the bed as though all energy had been expelled. "I need some time," she finished, far quieter now that she'd said her part.

Quinn turned aside, processing what she'd hurled at him. The itch to inflict immeasurable pain on Azarius was back in his fingers although he wasn't the only one to blame here. It was obvious that this was a combination of many, many things, some that he didn't even know about yet. He knew he'd played his unintended part in pressuring her to being here, at this point. It wasn't in his nature to acknowledge responsibility but he was partially at fault for putting her through more than she'd bargained for.

It was true, he'd never given much attention to how she had just as much a reputation to uphold as he had. Weakness meant death; they'd both quickly learnt that in their lives. Fragility could be lethal but for her profession, being bitten by a vampire meant losing all dignity. Worse than dying while fighting. He hadn't considered that idea. She had a point there – being the attacker was an entirely different perspective. He'd never envisioned her as a victim either; she'd struck him as too steadfast and skilled to be trapped in that position.

He would bet that she didn't even notice how she was pulling at her bottom lip with her teeth, chewing on the bites that had been healed by the witches. It was a phantom wound, an invisible scar.

He eyed his soulmate on the mattress and for the first time in a century he truly empathised with a human. He walked over and pulled Rashel's boneless body against his chest. Holding her, his only thought was how much he wanted to make her feel secure when she couldn't cope alone. It was strange, protective sensation that directed his body before he thought about it. Much too human.

She wasn't stiff anymore; instead practically sunk against him with no reaction. She breathed against his chest and he let her warmth seep into him. Considering what she'd said, he found the truth in her pain.

She'd been alone almost from the beginning, had forfeit a regular childhood in favour of survival. Partially she'd surely isolated people as well but where he'd had Hunter as a guide into his second life, she'd been on her own. She hadn't had anyone to speak to so she'd bottled it up inside.

He felt his shirt soak with her tears and the pressure of her hands as she raised them to his back to hold on tightly. Quinn let her without a word and kept her close. He found her words rushing through his head over and over, adding another dimension to the girl he knew. It hit him now, how much they had avoided speaking about their pasts until he'd shown her his memory. Maybe it was time to sit down and start on that.

It grew warm in the room as the morning unfolded and still, neither of them moved an inch. At some point, she spoke a muffled, "I'm sorry," into his shoulder and he loosened his hold slightly to look at her. She was a mess; nose and eyes reddened and tear tracks on her face but he wouldn't have changed it for the world. She still looked shaken but the self-control was returning. He traced his thumbs across her cheeks, brushing away the wetness.

"No useless apologies," he murmured.

"You interrupted at a bad time," she sighed, finally looking straight at him, "I didn't mean to let all that loose. God, I haven't cried since I was five. I don't know what's wrong with me"

He thought about that for a bit. "I think you needed to say all that since a long time. What happened in Toronto shook you up"

She took a deep breath before nodding, already biting her lip again. He had half the urge to kiss her to make the bad memory go away but now was definitely not the right time. He didn't make a move to touch bare skin again either. Rashel still looked slightly apologetic and quickly explained herself.

"You know, I never made an effort to have friends. They were all liabilities when it came down to it so I didn't talk about myself at all. Not to vampire hunters, not anyone. Giving away information was always too big a risk so the only one I could turn to was myself. I never minded being alone. I guess that's not the best way to sort out my experiences but I didn't think about that. It's never…overwhelmed me until now"

"I was wondering when you'd stop handling all this like a superhuman," he said, rousing a faint half-smile from her, "And you were right. I've never been the victim that way. That doesn't mean I don't understand what it feels like," he tapped his temple, "When I feed, I sense everything too"

"That's not the same"

He shrugged but didn't say anymore on the topic. She sat back, crossing her legs on the covers and running a hand through her hair - little tasks to solidify her composure. Then she looked at him again, "When…when he bit me, it wasn't even the fact that he was drinking my blood that was so horrible. It was the way he did it. He had me in a position where he could have killed and then drained me. Easy. But he wanted me to suffer alive the way he did in the fire. Break the spirit before breaking the neck. Feeling every single second of it makes it worse"

The blazing black hatred was back and knocking at his consciousness. He felt his features grow cold in response. "He should burn alive," he snarled, "If I'd been there I would have taken him apart piece by piece"

"I know," she paused and glanced away before mustering the courage to say, "You almost made me feel that way when we were in that room on the enclave"

His felt his insides turn cold at the statement. "What?"

She quickly shook her head, seeing the misunderstanding. "Not the ripping apart. I mean you were the first one that bit me. I was scared - not of dying but of that helplessness when you know it's over. I always thought that at that moment, I should do my best to make it quick," she shook her head, "The worst part was that it wasn't excruciating at all. It was probably the bond but I had to admit to myself that it felt _good_. So yesterday should be more of a relief because it proved that it can be exactly as horrible as I always imagined"

Silence followed. He tried to make sense of what his ears told him he'd just heard. He didn't want to think about the implications. All that filled his head was that someone had done this to her, had caused this meltdown and instilled this experience in her and he couldn't just make that go away.

"Listen to me," Quinn said brusquely, leaning in so she had no choice but to look at him, "I won't ever let anybody do that to you again. And ever is a long time by my standards. Nobody will get close enough to even try"

That did put a pale smile on her face again. "I can't decide if that's chivalry or a threat"

"I'm serious, Rashel"

"I know," she acknowledged, "If you weren't you would have said you're the exception to the rule"

He really didn't want to be reminded. Looking back in hindsight at that moment, he surely couldn't have come up with a more reckless answer. "That time I was desperate for a solution and you know that. Turning you seemed the only way. It would have been a mistake"

"Things would have gone differently if you'd made me a vampire," she said quietly, sounding solemn enough that Quinn stared at her questioningly, "No, I probably would have stabbed myself in the end. But I mean, we would have never made it this far"

"You would have died and I would have been executed for illegal turning. Happy ending," he added sarcastically and even though the scenario was unthinkable by now, both did not laugh. Rashel reached for him again, resting her forehead against his and closing her eyes.

_I'm still sorry for exploding like that. I think you might be right about that holiday. A time out would be great._

He smirked, letting his hand drift through her hair to push it away from her face. _Where do you want to go?_

She contemplated and her felt her breathing gradually calm more as she envisioned a completely different place. One without dangers and responsibilities. He could see it exactly the way she did, majestic, snow-covered rock faces and wide expanses. _Somewhere with big mountains. Europe maybe. Or Asia. Somewhere overseas. I want to climb to the top of that place and stand up there and have nobody try to kill me._

He didn't say anything to that but when she opened her eyes and pinned him with her green gaze, he couldn't help but grin. _Definitely._

She sat up straight and raised her eyebrows. "Were you hoping I wanted to go to the Caribbean?"

"I don't have a preference for sunny places," he replied, demonstratively releasing his fangs to remind her. She grew a bit stiff at the sight of the incisors after yesterday's events and he immediately realized his mistake. He quickly closed his mouth again, mentally kicking himself for that. She simply looked at him, expression startled but not fearful. Then she surprised him by smirking.

"You're not him, Quinn. And If I had a phobia of fangs I would never have started hunting," she reminded him before moving and getting up.

He watched as she walked into the bathroom and listened to the water running. He rubbed a hand over his face. This conversation had almost been more taxing than the entire mission. At least he had some answers to unasked questions now. He lay back on the pillows, taking note of how the light was filling the room. Why on earth had they given them a room facing East? It was probably late breakfast time but he didn't have any desire to get up and follow a human schedule today.

He made himself get up to drop the blinds down and tinge the room in comfortable gloom again. Stripping off his dirty shirt, he flopped back onto the bed. Although he could technically go without sleep for much longer if he fed more, a nap sounded heavenly after the past twenty-four hours. His vampire senses were instantly more at ease without the overload of brightness and he felt the tension diminish.

When Rashel returned, looking decidedly less teary and almost back to normal, she blinked at the dark surroundings. She didn't hesitate to come and flop on the covers next to him though. "Don't tell me you're tired," her soulmate remarked with a grin, "You slept the whole flight"

"Emotional breakdowns are tiring," she replied and he was glad to hear her voice almost back to its usual firm tone, "Remind me never to have one again"

"Avoid near-death situations and you should be fine," he shrugged.

"How is that going to work when we're going to fight the Council, Hunter and bounty hunters every step of the way?"

He chuckled. "Therapy"

There was a moment of silence in which the air seemed to fill with thoughts again that both knew ran along the same lines. Rashel was first to say something. She rolled over to face him and he tilted his head, finding her gaze easily in the dim light. She seemed to be searching for the words to express what she felt. A lot had already been said but something remained on her chest. "I'm glad you didn't leave me alone when I told you to"

"I'm glad you didn't stab me for it," he joked. She didn't even try to hide her eye-roll at the comment. To let her know he accepted her thanks he added, "It's compensation because I wasn't there to prevent it in first place"

"No. That was my fight and I lost it because I approached it badly. I need to work on that myself. You can't always have my back. But thanks for…afterwards"

He knew if he argued his case now, he'd lose. She was independent and a fighter, she probably would stab him if he suggested sticking with her at all times during missions from now on. He swallowed the idea and left it at a simple, "Of course"

Her eyes spoke volumes of her thankfulness. A minute later, she sat up. "I'm going to grab some breakfast, I'm starving," she announced, "Do you want anything?"

He shook his head at the thought of another portion of re-heated blood. He'd go hunt for something real at nightfall. Rashel left the room and he stayed with his myriad of thoughts and impressions. When he was around her, he could feel himself sliding into human behaviour more easily every day. He still didn't know whether that was a good thing or not. It was a disturbing change considering the Council was still out for their blood and he was bound to make mistakes this way.

From another perspective, he hadn't been more alive in years. He'd breached prejudices and discovered feelings that had been dormant so long he'd thought them dead and gone. Frustrating enough to be busy saving the world, now he also had to admit that she was changing him through and through and that he was pleased with it.

He crossed his arms behind his head and stared at the ceiling. What she'd said about being bitten, it had inevitably triggered his instinct for blood again. Recollecting that one time he'd tasted her, it was hard not to think about it. She'd been unique as every human being was but somehow there had been more to her blood. It had been a nuance that was not that of a regular human.

He hadn't paid any more attention to it when the link had opened between them. His mind had been consumed by a million other sensations and as far as he remembered, he had been stunned enough to stop drinking from her altogether.

Now that the topic had been opened up again, he couldn't deny that he craved another try. He wouldn't, especially not after yesterday, but the desire was there. His honour prevented him from simply taking it. She'd said it had felt good and that had been mutual. How could he not instantly want her again?

Luckily, Rashel was back before he had time to elaborate on his ponderings and sat against the headboard, sipping tea and poking at a bowl of cornflakes. He carefully rearranged his thoughts into a different direction so as to not stare at her throat. He forced his eyes to follow her hands instead as she held the mug, noting how they'd stopped shaking. She looked fully collected again and he hoped he'd calmed her mind enough to ask her something that had been nagging at him. Now was probably the best time to mention this, while they were open about the past.

"You haven't said much about your family," he remarked, giving her a sidelong look.

Predictably, she stiffened at the mention. "You want me to?"

"It's hard to imagine that there was nobody left to take care of you at five. I had an exceptionally small family back in the day, my mother was gone early and my father…Hunter took care of that. Any extended family had moved away from my hometown, so I didn't have many strings to cut when my life changed. But you can't have always been alone."

She took another sip, wrapping her fingers around the porcelain. She seemed distant for a moment before she found a reply. "My father was gone early. I can't remember much of him; I think that was around my second birthday. I don't know about any relatives on his side. My mother never spoke about him"

"You took a picture," he interrupted with a raised eyebrow and she met the look, well aware that he'd seen the photograph during the time in New York. He wasn't reluctant about pointing it out; she'd decided to take the image with her after all, "He was a soldier?"

She nodded. "Marine. I'm guessing he got killed in battle. I only ever had that one picture, I think my mother made sure there wasn't much evidence so I didn't bring him up. We always coped without him. I had an Aunt on my mother's side," she paused and stared at the covers, "but she got murdered the day after her. There was no one else. No grandparents, no godparents, nobody came to claim me. Maybe there were some and they refused to take me because all my guardians seemed to be dying"

"Your mother was killed," he recalled.

She fixed him with a pointed look. "That's was Hunter's work"

He could see her face grow stormy as she returned to her child self's frame of mind. He couldn't help his curiosity; he'd been interested in the birth of her alter ego ever since he'd glimpsed the dark experience in her mind. From what he'd gathered, this day had resulted in her vendetta against his race. He'd felt rather than witnessed the negative emotions surrounding that event but as a five-year-old, those would have naturally been heightened.

"It was during my birthday trip to a carnival. I was there with Timmy and my mother. The two of us were playing in one of those adventure-climbing frames when I lost sight of him. I went to look and when I found him, Hunter was standing there, biting him. It took me too long to realize what he was. As a kid it's not exactly the first thing that comes to mind. When I started screaming he noticed me and I was lucky…or unlucky enough that my mother heard too. When she found me, he used mind control to keep her silent before he broke her neck"

It sounded so basic, a regular feeding ritual that Hunter liked to use and Quinn had often observed. Taking a human, ideally a clueless child, from a hectic, crowded area was the fastest method for obtaining prey. The authoritative vampire had a preference for the young ones whose blood was often more pure than that of adults. From Rashel's perspective, the story had him feeling ashamed although he'd never taken up the same habit.

"But he let you escape," he deduced, the thought occurring to him that was so plainly obvious he couldn't fathom why he hadn't asked earlier, "Why not kill all three of you?"

"Luck," she said, "As soon as she was dead, I ran. Or my body started running; I have no idea what I was thinking at that moment. He kept trying to lure me back with telepathy. I managed to get back into the climbing structure and just kept going. He couldn't fit in there and I guess because there were too many witnesses, he didn't try to use his powers to jump up. When he couldn't reach me I screamed that he'd tried to harass me until someone paid attention. That saved my life"

His mouth was dry. Despite the clipped account, he could picture every nerve wracking instant. He couldn't see Rashel as a child but he could imagine her fear, the same he'd felt when first realizing what the Redferns truly were. Even though he'd said it once, the urge returned to express his condolences for what his guardian had done.

"I'm sorry," he said. The words came out much easier than the first time he'd said them, now that he knew everything.

She smiled softly. "No useless apologies"

Despite the topic, a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as she handed his own words back to him. "The one time I show some compassion and you don't want to believe me?"

She set down her empty mug and managed a full smile. "Careful, your humanity is showing. You've got to work on that. People might think you're a nice person. Or charming. Or understanding. Or respectful. And the best thing that's happened to me in a while"

"I should work on that," he agreed, grinning back at her. He finally made the effort to sit up and pulled her against his chest. If they were going to a stay here, he didn't want them arm lengths apart. She went with it, leaning her head on his shoulder and sighed deeply once she'd settled. He felt the irregular shape of a hard, angular object pressing against his leg through her jeans and hid an eye roll. Of course she was still armed to the teeth when she was at her most vulnerable.

"You are the one for many firsts. I haven't told anyone except the police back then. You got the entire story," she remarked, tilting her head up to catch his expression, "I forgot to ask if you could keep a secret"

"Trust me," he touched his lips to her forehead, "I know all about secrets"

She blinked at him, "Tell me something"

What to say, what to say…he had so many stories, millions of memories, a never ending past. But what was really important? What would he pick out as a defining moment? She noticed the indecision and added, "I want to know about Dove"

It used to hurt deep inside to hear her name being said, now he didn't even flinch at the reference. She was a relic of an earlier life and it had been so long since he'd immersed himself in thoughts of her. He'd never spoken about her death. He'd moved on although the memory had stuck in form of nightmares. Those would never completely go away.

He found himself tongue tied as he dug for a place to start. It wasn't a topic he'd voiced often, if ever. Only Hunter and his daughters knew of their history and they'd dismissed it more gracefully than he had. It had been as though they'd never known another family member.

He saw her in front of him, as she'd been then, the summer he'd met her…the year he become both a man and a vampire. "She was beautiful. Back then I knew I could never have her but I dreamt anyway. I lived simply whereas her family seemed to have all the wealth to be jealous of. She was never arrogant or selfish though, she stood above her nature. It was so easy to fall in love with her when she was every man's dream. I couldn't believe it was real when she chose me"

He felt Rashel stir against him and she asked, "You never suspected something was different about her?"

"No. She was practically an angel. Hunter said she was too weak a vampire and she was. She was nothing like her sisters, no evil in her at all. I'm sure she would have loved nothing more than to be a human and live under the sun the way I did. Maybe that is why she held onto this idea of love in the hopes her father would let us marry"

"Your first meeting must have been a long way from ours," his soulmate commented. He snorted at the remark.

"The seventeenth century was a whole other world. We met in the city square when we were both running errands. I noticed her because she had no escort and that was unusual. She was wandering around and around and never bought a single thing, just kept looking. It was easy to see she wasn't from around. I suppose it wasn't polite to just go up and speak to her either but I couldn't stay away. I walked her home. She had me hypnotized. No swords and handcuffs involved," he finished and she could hear the grin in his voice on the last part.

She twisted around and retorted, "Welcome to the modern day where everyone is rude, dangerous and the person who loves you used to hate your guts"

Quinn just laughed and linked his arms around her midriff, pulling her closer. "I like this century better"


	14. Firsts

_A/N: I just want to thank you guys - all my reviewers, guests and fanfiction members, who have been sticking with my story all this time. You've inspired me to keep this going just by leaving me a comment that tells me people are reading and enjoying my work. The updates are going to get more intense from here so I have raised the rating to M for violence, increased swearing and sex. I'll try my very best to stay true to the characters but do let me know when you think I'm losing sight of that. Please make sure you're okay with reading more adult writing before you head onto this chapter. _

_Day 17, 16:55, Las Vegas_

"It's confirmed. He's not a Wild Power," Connor said heavily.

A collective groan travelled around the room. There was no easier way to get everybody's spirits down a notch. Rashel and Quinn stayed silent and shared a glance. To consider their mission a failure wasn't right. They'd saved somebody's life and that was all that counted, whether or not that person was key to preventing an apocalypse.

Nevertheless hearing the truth, blatantly disappointing, meant that their efforts hadn't been as significant as they'd hoped. They were back at square one with the search.

Even though she would never have voiced it, Rashel was glad the kid wasn't a chosen one. Just imagining the recklessness of this boy when he found out he had blue fire and unimaginable power; it could have been a disaster. Somebody who grew up pointing a gun at people's heads would probably take advantage of such a weapon. Not to say he would have chosen the other side but he could have done equally as much damage as good.

Apparently Quinn shared the sentiment judging by the vibe she was picking up from him. Now it seemed that the entire chapter was closed. The kid was no use to Circle Daybreak after all. She sighed, looking around. They were seated in the drawing room, the one they'd been directed to wait in after their first arrival. It was their largest meeting yet and it seemed to include everybody from the neighbouring states. They'd been cooped up here over an hour and now the news had finally been spilled.

Everyone took the information in different ways. Several cursed under their breath, some sent angry glances towards the ceiling while others looked truly disheartened by it. They were sprawled across the sofas, hunched over on chairs, standing against the walls with serious expressions or sitting on the floor muttering to another. Some of them were complete strangers, others they'd seen before.

Thierry was absent as was Lupe. Rashel had somewhat missed her over the past days. The werewolf girl was a welcome distraction, always up for a spar or even just to stroll around with and talk. Rashel would even go as far as to say they'd become some sort of friends. That the Night World lord wasn't here to host the meeting was unusual. Although he'd announced that he was out of the state for a couple of days, she had expected him back for something of this magnitude.

Connor was doing well with the responsibility though. He stood at the front of the room with his calm authority and waited for the noise to die down. She admired him for handling all these people and keeping them involved as he spoke. Rashel let her gaze sweep the room again, counting heads.

The vampire soulmates James and Poppy were here, squished together on the sofa and conversing quietly as were Thea and Eric who sat on the opposite side. There was another couple, which Rashel hadn't seen before but easily identified as soulmates. They stood against the wall across from her, discreetly holding hands. The girl was small, delicate with her porcelain features and pale hair. The eyes gave her away as a witch even though her appearance was almost elflike. The boy beside her was sturdier, tanned, dark-haired and very much human. He looked a bit lost with the news and his partner was whispering in his ear, presumably explaining the situation.

She turned back when the werewolf cleared his throat. It was the unmistakable cue for everyone to listen up again.

"It can't be helped. We've got to keep looking. Each one of you has been doing their best to spread across the country and find the people we're looking for. Each one of you is willing to put your life at risk for the sake of us all. If we keep going, we'll succeed. Alright, so our first trail turned out to be a dead end but it's a start"

"What's going to happen to the kid?" Rashel called out. Several curious eyes flicked to her before focusing back on the speaker at the front.

"He's going to remain under the protection of Circle Daybreak. Although it does put our people at risk, it is our duty to keep him safe after what has happened. We will take all precautions possible. He will be returned to his normal life but with constant guards for him and his family. The Council may or may not still be hunting him. It might even put us at an advantage to have them follow a false lead, believing that he is a Wild Power"

A motion of nods around the room. Nobody argued with his point. A dark-skinned werewolf spoke up from beside the door, his deep voice directed at Connor. "That's not all we came for is it?"

"No. While Thierry is gone, he has put me in charge of assigning missions that have to be carried out on a tight schedule. There's a lot to be done and for many of you, you'll be sent out in larger teams. That's why we asked you all to come to Vegas. Important things are coming up and we've got to be ready. I want to set up a training schedule for all agents while you're here and have everybody with no training participate. It's important to prepare you all, at least with basics"

"Oh, so you didn't just call us in for a big party?" came Ash's voice from the back corner, where he was leaning against the wall. Rashel knew she wasn't the only one resisting and eye roll or sharp-tongued retort. The lamia had a way of throwing in irrelevant comments just for the sake of it. The line roused several chuckles from people and the seriousness of the meeting dissipated with it.

Connor had probably spent long enough with Ash to knew when to play along and when to shut him up. At this point he flashed a laid-back grin and replied, "Party all you want when you've done your job right"

The blond just gave him a thumbs up and settled back into his niche, looking as uninvolved as he'd been since his arrival. The werewolf faced the crowd again, ending his speech with last instructions. "I've just got to ask you to stay put in here until you're called out for your briefing. I won't keep you for longer than another hour, alright?" he clapped his hands together and the few that had began to drift off snapped back to attention, "And feel free to cheer up – those Wild Powers can't keep hiding from us forever"

Polite applause followed him as he made his way to the door and stepped out. Then the twenty-odd agents were left to socialize amongst another. Rashel leaned against the couch, not feeling particularly eager to mingle and swap life stories. Although she didn't feel as uncomfortable with these many people as she once had, she wasn't about to start introducing herself to all these strangers. A good portion of distrust was never bad.

It was just her luck that James chose that moment to come over, his soulmate only a step behind. She could already see the curiosity in the girl's face and wasn't even surprised when she pressed for details about the Wild Power mission before even sitting down.

"Come on," the quirky redhead was practically shining with enthusiasm, "At least something about him – what was he like? Just like any other person? I mean, for everybody to think he's a Wild Power…and we heard you guys ran into trouble with the police"

This girl's mind worked much too fast. Rashel pulled herself together and recounted her side of the mission in brief, leaving out the gun incident and the delicate parts of her fight with the vampires. Quinn was watching her closely and she received the sense that he knew she was skipping things on purpose but she kept her eyes firmly on Poppy's. Even James looked impressed as she finished.

"You're lucky you didn't get caught. I think you'd have had a hard time talking yourself out of that with the police. There's only so much evidence mind-control could have erased"

She didn't dispute that but couldn't help let the sarcasm leak through. "Getting arrested is so much worse than being strangled"

The lamia smiled wryly and looked about to clarify his point but she waved him off. She didn't have any hard feelings about this mission anymore. It was done, dusted and she didn't need to waste time thinking about it. In fact, looking back on it, she was almost ready to laugh about the chaos in which it had happened.

Thankfully Quinn took over then, telling his side of the story and she got to distract herself by watching others around the room. Many here looked older than her - not so many vampires and a greater portion of witches and shapeshifters. All sizes, all colours and a greater variety of ages than she'd seen in the past weeks. Some were surely around Connor's maturity and definitely seemed at home in this environment.

She couldn't detect any hostility between the races, which she found quite special. Even though this mansion was obviously a non-hostile ground, she'd expected petty rivalries after observing Night World people interact. Not here. The atmosphere was truly amicable if a bit gloomy after the bad news. She wondered how long they'd already been part of this. Some were surely Daybreak veterans by the looks of the scars she spotted.

Her eye was caught briefly by Ash, who had moved and was talking to the dainty, blonde witch. Her face was a picture of recognition and delight and she even reached over to hug him briefly. Rashel didn't think she'd seen anybody speak to the vampire with such positive energy. The girl waved over her soulmate and miraculously enough, Ash seemed to voluntarily get along with the human, even prompting him to laugh.

Strange things happened, she supposed and focused back on the conversation. James was speaking about rumours of Thierry really being on a secret mission to assassinate Hunter. Poppy was disputing this with full conviction and Quinn simply looked pensive, eyes flicking back and forth between the two.

"I'm telling you, he's much too good-hearted to go out and kill someone in cold blood. And anyway, how would he even get past Hunter's witches and guards? Everyone would know he did it too – he'd expose us" her fiery curls flew around her head wildly as she argued and Rashel took proper note for the first time how fiercely pretty she was.

"She's right," she backed up the girl, "I don't think he'd do that, especially in person. What does Daybreak have all its agents for? It's too much of a risk"

The vampire threw his hands up in surrender and Poppy winked at Rashel in silent triumph. She smiled back softly. Sometimes, the boys just had to be put in their place. Although she found the two of them comical in their semi-serious disputes, she didn't think she and Quinn would ever end up arguing that way. Their thoughts ran too closely along the same lines for that and they both dismissed all nonsense.

Her train of thought was disrupted by a secretary poking her head in and reading out several names. Quinn's was amongst them and he left the trio to follow the call. As soon as the door was shut again, Poppy leaned forward conspicuously. "How are things with you two?"

"Great," Rashel said evasively, preferring to watch a cluster of witches demonstrating their witch fire to another. Anything but this topic, which meant she should open up about their relationship. This wasn't something she wanted to talk to others about. It was something precious to her. This was exactly the reason she'd always despised girl talk.

"He's changed a lot," James noted, his expression almost wondrous, "I don't know what you've done but it's worked. I've never seen him so…I don't know…civil. He used to be an ice block"

"It's easy when you're in a safe place," she shrugged, "If we were out there still having to watch our backs and run from Hunter's minions, things would be different"

They both nodded and Poppy twisted to look around the room. "I wonder if there are going to be more soulmates joining soon. I mean, the base we stayed at so far has another couple that are really sweet but I'd love to meet more people. We can't be the only ones around. Or it's just that they're all in the East"

"What about those two?" Rashel indicated towards the ones standing beside Ash.

That got their attention. They obviously hadn't picked them out of the crowd as she had previously. She gave herself a mental pat on the back for having kept her awareness. They could just be a regular couple but what were the odds of a witch and human dating and happening to participate in Circle Daybreak? She only smiled to herself as the vampires immediately headed across the room to find out more.

She stretched, feeling her spine crack deliciously when she stood up. Today she'd definitely sat still for too long. The knife in her boot pressed against her calf as she moved positions. She'd almost forgotten about it. She'd grown so comfortable, or rather used to, the presence of Night World creatures surrounding her that she barely felt the need to be on defence 24/7. Two weeks ago that would have been unthinkable. Being part of the Circle and interacting with its members had changed her outlook on a whole lot of things.

She caught the looks of a couple of people as she wandered aimlessly through the room. She even received a couple of compliments on the mission. Anja hadn't been over exaggerating when she'd told them how fast news travelled amongst Daybreak bases. That some of them even knew her by name had her suddenly nervous. She really wasn't accustomed to the fame that came with retrieving a rumoured Wild Power. After having lived under an alias so long, this was more than surreal.

The next minute, the secretary was back and she heard her name. She met with another girl at the doorway who looked a couple of years older although she was shorter than her. Rashel immediately picked up a shapeshifter aura from her. That indefinable animalistic trait, which she couldn't classify but was noticeable in the way the girl moved.

Well, this would be an interesting acquaintance.

They eyed each other as they were directed down the hall to an office. The shapeshifter was gorgeous, a bit on the exotic side. She seemed of Asian heritage with tanned skin, silky hair and a small-boned figure. Her dark eyes had the unflinching intensity of somebody who knew exactly what to watch for and wasn't afraid to be in command.

When they reached the room, Rashel quickly took the opportunity and extended her hand. If they were going to be working together, they might as well know the most basic thing about another. "Rashel"

The girl took the hint and returned the gesture with a strong grip. "Besra"

The all-American accent was unexpected. In Rashel's mind, it didn't fit at all with the girl's foreign features but she wasn't one to be startled easily. She just replied easily, "Does that have a meaning?"

"It's my other form," was all she got before the door opened and Connor ushered them inside. She made a mental note to look up the word and followed the shifter. They took up the vacated chairs in front of a table with piles of manila folders spread across it. The werewolf flashed them an apologetic grin as he rummaged through the stacks until he retrieved the correct ones and passed them over.

"It's a simple one, no contact necessary – you just go in, observe, and get out again. That's why there are only two of you for this assignment. Being invisible is your prime objective right after getting the information," Connor explained as they filed through the documents. There weren't many. Two pages with maps of the place, a list of names and shifts of the staff as well as a single sheet with details on the actual objective.

"We received information on a meeting happening in that club Saturday night. You two will go in separately undercover and try to get as close to the affair as possible. We don't know who is involved or how many are expected so no unauthorized moves from you both. You'll be armed for safety but don't attack unless you are in serious trouble. We're not trying to stop this gathering but we need to find out what is being negotiated," he paused, giving each girl a pointed look, "Clear so far?"

They nodded in unison and he passed them both a small device. "You know the drill," he looked from the Asian girl to her, "Have you used one of these before, Rashel?"

"No," she said while she activated the communication device and slipped it into her ear, testing it. She smiled at Connor, "But they're not so difficult to figure out"

"That's fine. The rest is all there in the files. Read over it, any questions bring them to me or Nilsson. You'll be driven to the location by an agent, no need to worry about transport," he finished and leaned forward, holding his weight on the desk, "Good luck"

They took that as their signal that the briefing was over. Rashel was pleasantly surprised by how quickly that had gone. She could get used to this system.

It gave her a sense of responsibility; pride even to be considered as capable for missions that she'd never tried herself before. These people had faith in her even though they knew only bits of her story. Naturally, being a ninja had taught her more than enough about making herself invisible and hiding in places the enemy couldn't see. She was confident about this.

"So you're a newbie," Besra remarked as they headed for the entrance hall, "How much experience do you have?" Obviously that hadn't gotten past her after Connor's inquiry about the equipment. Rashel supposed it was best that she asked these questions, for her own safety as well as the success of the mission. Although she highly doubted that anybody was sent out on assignments that were above their skill level.

"I was part of the Wild Power team," she told the shifter and was rewarded with fresh respect in the girl's expression.

"And you know how to handle yourself?" her partner clarified. She seemed to realize that all this was coming across quite brash because she added, in a friendlier tone, "You know how it goes. You do or you die"

She already knew they were thinking on the same level. This girl had the attitude of a survivor and Rashel knew to appreciate that compared to someone like Ash who looked like he acted before he thought. If this shifter was anywhere near as efficient as Nissa or Connor, they would have absolutely no problem working with another.

She had to stop herself from grinning at the girl's insinuation. She definitely knew how to handle herself.

"We can spar together if you want to make sure," she suggested. They still had tomorrow to prepare, she didn't see any reason why she couldn't combine training and proving herself fully capable. The shifter laughed – the first truly warm thing she'd offered her today.

"Sure, let's do it," the dark eyes blazed at the challenge, "I'm staying in Vegas but I'll be around the mansion. I'm here with my team, so we'll probably be practicing techniques anyway. I heard you have a great training room here"

"Good. I'll find you"

With that easygoing rivalry set in stone, they parted in the entrance hall. Rashel made her way upstairs to find Quinn. She was feeling excited about this upcoming experience and almost walked right past their room. Her soulmate was there, an open thermos in hand and rifling through the closet with the other. The duffel bag on the bed fell into her view and she immediately understood that he would be gone a whole lot longer than her.

"Hey," he greeted her, taking a deep gulp from the thermos. Early dinner.

"Packing already…are you headed for Kansas?" she joked as she came over. Quinn almost choked on his drink as he remembered that instance and couldn't help the indigenous snort. He demonstratively threw a pair of pants onto the covers.

"You want me out of here, I see," he threw over his shoulder and chucked a balled up shirt at her. Despite the power behind the playful toss, she caught it without batting an eye, dropping it into the open bag.

"Or maybe I just want to send you a postcard when you're gone," she hinted and almost got hit by the second shirt-missile sent her way. It landed on the floor behind her with a dull sound and both of them took a beat to stare at the spot. Whether or not she broke out into laughter because of the failed attempt or his expression, she had no idea. "Your aim is worse than mine"

"Oh, really?" he taunted before leaping at her. She half saw it coming. She'd learnt to always anticipate the unexpected with him and although her defensive instinct kick-started, she refused to raise a finger as they landed on the bed. This was just fun, so whimsical and spontaneous after days of chewing on what had happened in Toronto.

She let him have his way now. Somewhat of a premonition was brewing inside her that they would be apart for a couple of days.

She would miss him, no matter where he went or how much distance was between them. It had become more and more obvious to her the longer they were together. She was so involved here, so deeply connected to Quinn in miraculous ways that she didn't want a life without him anymore. Everything they'd gone through had fused them closer.

What hadn't hit her in their first weeks together was now clear as day. She loved this vampire and couldn't imagine it ending. Not for the world, not even for an apocalypse. It frightened her more than at the start, more than all the realizations that had hit her on the enclave. This was real and she was admitting it to herself deep inside. She loved Quinn. Even if the soulmate principle had added immensely to it, she was sure she would have fallen for him just as hard without.

He rolled them of their own accord and she leaned her head against his chest when they came to stop. His arms firmly around her waist and their legs tangled, she didn't move an inch.

Although she was spread out over him and had almost her entire weight on the vampire's body, there was no position of dominance here. They were just two people meshed together in absolute balance, breathing together, existing together. All the tedium of the day slipped away. Every moment they had like this was something special.

"I love you," she said.

It was out before she even considered the meaning behind it. No logical thought was in her head right now. This was pure feeling and as overused as those words had sounded to her for years, they were nothing but right.

Had she said them to him so plainly before? She didn't think so. They'd both always danced around the cliché until the time he'd come to apologise. He'd said the damned phrase and it had never sounded sweeter to her. It had been so heartfelt and overwhelming to hear it from him – from a person that had centuries of frozen walls built around his soul, from someone with a devil's reputation and a history that served for horror stories. It had been enough to make her weak.

She saw it in his eyes now, the way she affected him. He looked stunned and she felt his emotions rise, wild and beautiful and carrying everything unsaid between them. She could lose herself in those feelings.

He reached up, framing her face in his hands. "You're everything," he told her and in the sudden huskiness lacing his voice she felt fierce adoration. She said nothing, just smiled.

He leaned up to pull her in for a kiss and Rashel responded with no hesitation. She tasted the faintest hint of blood. It surprised her that the thought didn't have her reeling back. Here it was, she realized, the proof that she'd set her animosity against his vampire nature aside.

His fingers found the hem of her shirt and explored the skin peeking out between the materials. She sighed at the contact, leaned into the touch. It had been a while that they'd done this, with all the preparations around the mansion and Quinn being gone to hunt at night. They hadn't found a lone moment.

She had no idea how they'd gotten from light-hearted banter into such dizzying intimacy but hoped there would be no interruption today. The mood was on the verge of tipping into complete ecstasy. She had to restrain herself to get out the most important thing on her mind before she relinquished control. She had to know before she could let go.

"How long are you gone?" she asked between kisses, drawing away to look him in the eye.

"Three days, leaving in the morning," he was devouring her with his gaze, she could barely focus on what he said, "It's in L.A. We're five people, so if everything goes right, we'll be done sooner"

"Just…" she breathed deeply, working to make it sound like a command. This news was affecting her more than she wanted it to, "don't get killed"

"I'm immortal," he grinned before enveloping her in another heart-stopping kiss. She buried her hands in his hair, pressing against him as he captured all her senses. His lips were pressed against hers and stealing her rationality as well as her reservations. The bag tumbled onto the ground as they rolled and she found her back against the mattress, holding Quinn close as they deepened the kiss.

Her heartbeat thrummed through her ribcage and she felt it pick up speed as he explored every inch of her. Tongues, palms, skin, everything felt more sensitive and receptive to her. His fingers spanned her ribs through her top and the simple friction had her growing wanton with need.

She moaned his name against his mouth when his thumb pressed against _that_ spot on her hipbone. She'd never known she was sensitive there until his fingers ventured in that direction. Everything coating her felt too heavy, too many irrelevant impressions when all she wanted was his body against hers.

Blindly, she found the end of his shirt and pulled it off, replacing the material with her hands. He was perfection every time. The scars, some faint and smooth, others uneven, only added to her desire. Each of them was a part of him and his life. She wanted to know them all. She broke the kiss and touched her lips to his pulse, savouring the energy underneath the skin.

He groaned and she lost her top before she had time to continue south. The electricity streaming through her when his hands made contact shocked her anew. He held her wrists, pulling them apart and onto either side of her head and she gasped as teeth rasped against her torso, nipping at the flesh until she flushed with heat.

She let him undress her, trembling with excitement and getting more aroused by the minute. She didn't know how he sent her into such frenzy but she was far beyond reasoning it out. This was more than the motel room. This was true need and somewhere in the functioning recesses of her mind she knew this was it.

He was back, tossing her last boot over his shoulder and skimming her exposed thighs with sure fingers. Sensations were crashing over her, making her shiver with pleasure and raising goosebumps everywhere on her body. His breath tickled over her abdomen, kisses rained down her side and she was feeling both exquisitely hot and cold at once.

Her hands made short work of his button and zipper and a blink later, he was out of his pants and hovering over her. Kisses were searing, demanding more and she met him with equal fervour every step. Even her underwear seemed too tight on her and she arched off the bed to give him better access.

Her head was becoming too overwhelmed to take in everything happening between them. The snap of a clasp. The heat of lips accompanied by the tingling feel of his hair brushing against her collarbone. Explosions running so deep they set her blood on fire. She couldn't handle it for long before her yearning got the better of her. She rolled them back so she could claim his mouth with hers.

At some point his hands came up to thread through her hair and she opened her eyes, meeting his directly. If they reflected back even half of what she felt, she was absolutely hungering for him. His pupils swallowed his iris as she leaned over him, covering him in shadow. Where she'd felt the fangs on her before, she could see them now and took them in with no inhibitions. She was fearless.

Arms circled her middle, holding her close enough to feel each ridge, every muscle. His voice was weighted with lust when he whispered against her throat, "_You_ have to want this, Rashel"

A step away from breaching that line she'd drawn ages ago. Everything was a rush in her veins and emotions pulsing through her. One thought, somewhat lucid ringing in her ears. Her own words. His words. _I love you. I love you. I love you._

She trembled in his grip but whether it was excitement or nerves didn't matter anymore. She wanted this. Bad. She felt her heart go out to him for leaving her with the choice. It was impossible though - she couldn't stop now. It would drive her crazy. She was astounded how he managed around the buzz running through his body.

She heard the breathlessness of her own voice and the intent in every single word. "I told you, you're my first for a lot of things"

He actually had the control to pause. Gazes clashed and he looked at her as though he'd never seen clearly before. Looked as though her words were the sweetest thing he'd ever heard. His hand came up to drift over her hair, drawing a line down her cheek with a gentleness that surprised her. She closed her eyes at the sensation, caught his hand before it could drop away. She felt the smile appear as he pressed his lips against her pulse.

_I plan to be your only_.

With that, there were no more barriers, no restraint as he laid claim on her this time. If her lips were bruised tomorrow, she couldn't care less. She lived every second of it. Her legs hooked around his and she clutched at his back, trying to memorize every ridge. White on white, black on black, she felt his need to break down any distance. That's why she should have been prepared when she felt his touch inside her.

Nothing she'd ever felt compared. Nerves she hadn't known existed were responding. She barely registered herself arching into Quinn because everything seemed to zero in on that very one spot. She muffled her moan against his shoulder. His lips curved into a grin against her throat and the movement intensified, filling her further and stretching her in ways that made her shudder with pleasure.

His name fell from her lips the deeper he went and she broke the kiss for a second to gasp out loud. He'd curled his fingers and hit a zone that made her shake and stole her breath completely. She had no chance of collecting herself from the shock. His hand between her thighs kept caressing her until her head spun and she felt herself nearing an invisible edge. There was no way this mass of sensations could keep on piling when she was already hanging on for dear life.

He relieved her by pulling back. She didn't know what was worse, the loss of the indescribable feeling or the fact that her body still craved to be shoved over that limit. Her eyes snapped open, she was breathing raggedly. Her gaze fell to Quinn who had moved back, shedding his last piece of clothing. He took his time and she wondered if he was trying to keep himself away so she could make a last decision.

She was surprised herself that her insecurities kept their mouths shut today. She looked at him, feeling nothing but elation and followed him with her eyes as he crawled back to cover her body. The expression on his face was something she had never seen before but it had the heat building immediately. For somebody to look at her with such want had her coming undone at the seams.

He kissed her again and for the first time since they'd started on this insane collision course, she felt him completely dissolve. All the inner desire he'd been holding back escaped now. His grip was harder than before and although it should have scared her, she wanted to yell with delight. She didn't want him holding back on her, no matter how much he concerned himself with her not being ready.

If she wasn't going to have Quinn exactly the way he was she didn't want to do this.

His hand was circling her thigh, throwing her leg across his back again. She rose off the mattress with the motion and gripped his shoulders, biting down on his lower lip and showing him just how certain she was of this. Every shift of his muscle against hers made her want him back where he'd just been.

He was already moving in tune with her. The friction between their bodies instantly had her breathing heavy again. His fangs pricked deliciously against her shoulder as he slid lower, placing himself between her legs. For a moment she thought he'd lose that composure and bite her while they were so intertwined but he only ever scratched the surface.

His heat pressed against her abdomen and just as he raised his head to meet her abandoned lips again, he pushed forward. He swallowed her sharp gasp of pain in another heated kiss. She just couldn't process anything; the intensity of both pain and pleasure raging through her was too much. Behind her lids, kaleidoscope colours were erupting and she was left in a state of vertigo. It hurt but it was no degree of pain she hadn't experienced before.

Her soulmate's hands were on her, his mind inside hers and coaxing her to relax. She breathed deeply through the tension and the discomfort. It was the strangest feeling, having his voice caress her mind, keeping her right here with him, while his fingers brushed over her face, overlapping the pain with gentleness.

_Hey_, she held his gaze, so close she could see nothing else, and reached up to frame his face. She wondered how she'd ever come across someone so beautiful.

_Hey_, he replied, _How are you feeling?_

Her smile was genuine and she realized she meant it when she answered. _Never better._

He grinned right back before pressing another kiss to her lips. She stirred, came back to reality when he gradually began rocking inside her. She found herself basking in the unusual feeling of being full to the brim. The temperature seemed to have risen several degrees; she was covered in a thin sheen of sweat and noticed that even Quinn's body was slick beneath her hands. His hands were stroking the skin of her hips with pressure that was almost hard but somehow intensified her thrill.

They were adjusting to another. Rashel kept up with his movements and soon found that right timing to meet him halfway. He was inside her, body and soul and she didn't think anybody could ever understand the wholeness of such a connection. The sense of wanting to explode was growing inside her again, it came right from her centre and she was powerless to hold it off.

Their pace increased, both were panting hard in anticipation of what they were heading for. She was beyond vulnerable and on top of the world at once. Every time he came into contact with the spot he'd discovered earlier, she couldn't stop herself from groaning at the perfection of that feeling.

He wasn't taking it easy on her anymore; she was reminded with every motion of the strength in the compact body. She could feel herself rushing towards that edge. It slammed into her at full speed and she cried out as her entire body seized in ecstasy.

Absolutely nothing compared to that feeling. Hypersensitivity but blissful weightlessness settled into her and made her limbs heavy, grasping whatever part of Quinn she could reach. He was breathing just as hard but still moving and keeping up the resistance inside. When he finally tipped over the verge, she held on as he buried his head in her shoulder and uttered a deep sound of release.

His pulse thundered beside her ear and she gave a shaky laugh, pressing giddy kisses against his neck. Both of them stayed that way for a couple of minutes, gaining back their breath and soaking up the high. Rashel couldn't remember having felt more at peace. It was such a moment of fulfilment where she was unconditionally happy.

Her soulmate eventually moved his weight off her and she shivered at the air taking his place. She rolled onto her side to let her arm fall down to his hip, refusing to let go just yet. He cupped her jaw in response and followed by kissing her softly, travelling from her forehead to her lips. _How's that for a first?_

As thought she could form any coherent thoughts yet. She looked at his face, which had assumed its more human features again. Either way, he was gorgeous; especially when he looked at her that way and she couldn't quite find the words to answer him. _Amazing, John. _

His hand lingered on her face. He had an awe-struck vibe around him as though he couldn't believe this entirely either. Holding onto another didn't make it any more real but it prevented this dream from ending. _You are, _he agreed.

_How did this happen again? _

He chuckled. _I said I was leaving. If I'd known that was the reaction I would have announced that much sooner._

She shoved him playfully and flipped onto her stomach, nestling her head against his shoulder. The ache when she moved caught her off guard though and she stretched out carefully. So this was the infamous first time soreness that everybody had gone on about in her past school year. Though they'd hardly had a vampire for the big event.

He reached out a hand and traced patterns on her bare back, sending a warm shiver down her spine. Although she was bringing down the mood with her request, she couldn't help saying it again. _Be careful in L.A._

_You too, _his expression turned serious; _I will tear the person apart who does something to you._

Tilting her head, she sent him a smile. _I'm only gone one night. I'll be back before you are._

His palm came to a stop at the base of her tailbone, having gently traced all the ridges of her spine. He sent her teasing glance. _Well, whatever you're signed on for - if you are as ruthless with those people as you were with me, they'll be in trouble._

She said nothing, only leaned over and pressed her lips against his again.


	15. Trouble

_Day 19, 23:02, Las Vegas_

Neon lights clashed with the darkness and made her vision hazy. This was more extreme than New York, Rashel thought as the car passed the endless line of casinos and hotels. Las Vegas at night was definitely a sight for sore eyes. No other city she'd been to in her life overwhelmed its visitors with such outward grandeur.

She glanced over at her partner. The girl looked just as glamorous as the city around them but unlike Rashel, she was totally at ease in her outfit. The bronze jumpsuit set off her skin colour and if Rashel hadn't seen her training in sweatpants yesterday, she'd have mistaken her for a celebrity. This seemed right in the shifter's comfort zone. She had no doubts that this girl was going to blend in without a problem.

She shifted and tugged at the top she'd found amongst the clothes Anja had given her. Not that it had been an easy feat to pick out something to pretend she was clubbing in. If anything, her aversion to partying was her blind spot tonight. If the goal was not to stand out, she'd done her best to at least dress the part. Thankfully stylish wear seemed to be predominantly black.

She hadn't caved in to the heels and stuck to her familiar boots. Besra had given her a strange look at the combination of revealing clothing and sturdy shoes but hadn't said anything. The ride had been quiet with the exception of discussing their game strategy in the first five minutes.

The resort loomed over them when they pulled into the parking area. Rashel blinked at the size of it. She had never stepped into such a place. This was miles away from the grungy, underground club in Boston. That had been harmless in comparison to the beast she was taking on now. But perhaps in a place of this size, she wouldn't even be recognized as an outsider.

Besra glanced at the entrance, then indicated for her to hook up the communication device. The slight buzz in her ear announced that they were in contact and she shook her hair out to cover any sign of it. The shifter grinned at her. "Showtime. I'll follow you in fifteen"

Rashel nodded back. "Back here by three," she reiterated the plan. Then she collected herself, patted the concealed weapons in her boots and stepped out of the car. She couldn't help but glance at the reflection in the tinted window and wanted to shake her head at the image. The make-up, the sleek straight hair and the clothes just weren't her. This cover had better do a convincing job.

The place was a popular nightclub and although she'd memorized the technical layout, she was still caught off guard when she was let inside. It was half-full despite having been open no longer than ten minutes. She supposed the first people inside got the free drinks or something of the sort. Everything was almost dreamlike, furnished in rich, deep colours and sporting swanky architecture that attracted enthusiastic clubbers like flies.

She eyed the VIP balconies above her head, situated in a way that the people inside had a view of the stage and dance floor. That was the goal. If she didn't find a back room that was likely to be used for a meeting, she was certain it would happen in such a shielded alcove.

Genius really, to discuss secret matters in the middle of a busy club, shrouded in music and practically in plain sight while appearing secluded. Nobody was likely to eavesdrop, ask questions or even remember they'd been there by tomorrow. Those skyboxes were definitely on her agenda tonight.

It was easier to push in between the people and order something than she'd expected. There were several bars around the place and although she received a dubious look when she demanded water instead of liqueur, she was served instantly. She stayed on the fringes of the floor, never part of the dancing mass but looking involved enough to be left alone.

She let her gaze roam as the music pulsed across the space, catching sight of each person that walked by. All of them human and not what she was looking for. She'd subtly checked the bartenders and bouncers as she'd gone through them and that had been normal. She supposed whoever was part of this meeting had only chosen this club for the elite vibe and unobtrusive location. It didn't look like it was going to be a largely staged affair when there wasn't a single Night World person around yet.

Rashel wandered around the fringes of the crowd, her eyes concentrating on picking out abnormalities under the flickering lights. She sipped her water and kept moving, never stopping long enough for anybody to approach her. She blended into the dark along the walls and sidestepped personnel with a smile near staff areas.

She covered the perimeter of the club, coming up empty. That option was out of the question then; it had to happen to be upstairs. She would have to coordinate with the shapeshifter so they could pinpoint the right lounge.

Dumping her empty glass on somebody's vacated table, she walked back into the dancing crowd. The tiny microphone device was useless amongst them because the noise level was too high. The space on the floor was shrinking rapidly as more and more people arrived. She had to squeeze through the gaps to make it to the other side. One particular couple practically fell against her and she had to remind herself to stumble aside instead of using her reflexes.

Another body collided with her as she teetered and she cursed under her breath. The last thing she wanted was to grasp people's attention. Marrying the look-and-act-normal undercover thing and keeping her usual alertness was harder than it looked. She felt a hand on her waist and turned, finding herself nearly nose to nose with the first vampire of the night.

For a second she was entirely without reaction. It had been a while since she'd been so close to a vampire, that wasn't Quinn, without shoving something wooden through him. Her throat went dry as he pulled her in close, obviously having mistaken her shove as an invitation.

She forced herself to breathe and held her hands up apologetically. "Sorry," she yelled over the music, already stepping back. The young man didn't look concerned at all. In fact, he was sizing her up with open curiosity. Under normal circumstances she wouldn't have seen the vampire in him but from this proximity his eyes gave it away. Too much experience, too much killing intent. The silvery sheen of the iris under the strobe lights became more pronounced as she took him in.

He was a lean guy, dressed like a punk rocker. She wouldn't have glanced twice at him in the crowd if she'd just walked by. He hid his muscle control well under ragged movements that made him seen like any other drunk individual here. The wildly spiked hair, shaved short on the sides, only added to the look that made him seem part of the crazy Vegas crowd instead of looking to talk politics in a back room.

With a nondescript smile, she melted back into the bodies as quickly as she dared, losing the eye contact and heading for the bathrooms. So there they were, number one had arrived. Although she could assume he was a random one clubbing for the sake of it, her gut feeling told her it wasn't coincidence.

"Hey," she muttered into the device as soon as she could hear herself again, leaning against a cubicle, "They're definitely up the top. I haven't seen a group appear yet, I'm guessing they're coming separately. Where are you?"

"Bar at the very back. I snagged the VIP guest list but none of the names are familiar," came the voice through the bud, cackling slightly. Rashel guessed that the speakers around her were disrupting the signal, "You're sure they'll be up there?"

"Unless they decided to go somewhere else in the hotel, they should be. It's the only place they can use for a conversation"

The hum of the transmitter grew louder for a second before the girl responded, sounding decisive, "I'll shift and fly up there when they're here. If I'm lucky, they won't notice anything over their heads. You head upstairs. We'll see who gets in closest"

"Right," Rashel agreed, brushing a hand through her hair as she turned the device down.

The music had changed when she went back in. It was a jumpier track and the bass hit her full on as she strode past the central bar. Ideally, the stairs leading up to the reserved spots were in plain view and had an extra bouncer standing at the base. She presented the guy with a reservation, passing without a hassle and took her time wandering around the platform.

Only one area was full and as she walked by, she glimpsed a group of snickering women busy emptying a bottle. Not who she was looking for. In another one three girls were fawning over a finely dressed guy who seemed to be offering endless champagne.

She moved on, locating the lounge booked for their assignment. The inside was already fully decked out with bottles and finger food in silver bowls. Her eyebrows rose at the sight. She didn't even want to know how much had been paid for this, especially since she wasn't going to use any of it. She busied herself examining her surroundings. Although it wasn't by any means sound proofed, simply being several metres above the crowd made it quieter. Good enough to talk amongst people with impeccable hearing. Additionally, there were curtains that could be drawn to obscure the view.

She wished they had been given bugs to place in each lounge. That would have made the entire procedure so much simpler but then again, it was possible this was all a fluke and the information had been false. That would mean she was stuck in here until three in the morning with no results.

She sat down on one of the seats from where she could just glimpse the top of the stairs. Anybody coming up wouldn't be missed by her. Feeling the dimmed enclosed atmosphere of this made her think of Boston. The night she'd fooled Quinn in that haunting club. A smile surfaced as he crossed her thoughts.

Their departure yesterday had been anything but easy. It had hit her that they hadn't been separated for days at a time since making it off the enclave. Especially after taking it up to a whole other level, she'd barely managed to not follow him when he left. He'd taken it much the same and hadn't torn his eyes off her until the car pulled away.

She refused to worry for him; it would do neither of them any good. Nonetheless, their room had felt too empty when she'd sat inside.

Rashel had forced herself into a training mindset, meshing the excitement for her mission with the melancholia. Sparring had been a very welcome occupation and the shifter had been up to the challenge. Although she won every fight thanks to her experience, Besra's resilience and quick learning had been up to speed, so that during the fourth round, she'd barely managed to land a square hit anymore.

She'd also been privy to watching her transform.

It had been the most extraordinary sight. The entire body had collapsed in on itself and suddenly feathers had sprouted, limbs had changed shape. Round, sharp eyes had stared back at her with the intelligence of a person. She'd been stunned by the speed of the change and even more by the fact that the sparrow hawk version of the girl still reminded her of the human. Both versions were beautiful, strong-willed and agile.

The rest of Besra's group – all shifters - had taken up her offer for training as well and Rashel had found herself confronted with very different fighting styles. It had certainly been an experience and thankfully effective in keeping her mind off her soulmate for a while.

Now, here in this place that triggered a lot of memories, she couldn't stray away from her thoughts. She hoped he was doing well with whatever it was he'd been assigned to. If anything happened to him, she honestly wouldn't know what to do.

It was a bad time to harbour such thoughts while she was meant to be paying full attention to her task but once the notion was there, it stuck. She had too much time on her hands right now. She wished she had a clock in here but estimated it had been an hour since their arrival. Nobody but that guy in the crowd had turned up and a one-man-show wasn't her concern.

Perhaps she should return downstairs to make herself a picture of the situation again. She'd just about put the thought into action when figures appeared on the stairs. One look confirmed it. They were here. She quickly stepped back into her secluded area, leaning into a corner and instinctively breathing without a noise.

The first one mounted the top, striding ahead with self-assured steps. Had she been anybody else, Rashel would have simply admired her for managing to walk on shoes that high. Unfortunately she recognized the face as it passed and felt her body freeze in response. The dark hair and the deadly amber eyes gave her away. Lily Redfern.

She quickly averted her eyes. Luckily they walked without a single glance right or left.

She wanted to cheer and curse at the same time. She'd hoped the lamia had burned but it looked like those expectations had been mistaken. This was definitely significant when Hunter's daughter was around. It also put Rashel at a greater risk of being discovered. The vampire knew her and as much as she craved to ambush the group for the chance to kill the girl directly, she wasn't allowed.

So preoccupied with the encounter, she'd missed out on closely studying the other three that followed Lily. They'd all been male and the one she'd stumbled into on the dance floor was part of the group. Wonderful. Another one that had seen her. She leaned out just far enough to see them slip into the lounge at the very end.

Rashel could only rely on her experience and stealth to make this work. She tapped her device. "They're here. Lily Redfern is running it"

It took a while for the girl to respond. "I saw them too," the answer sounded excited and she could hear the crowd getting louder as Besra moved below her, "A Redfern? This is big stuff. How close can you get?"

She shrugged to herself, leaning out to make another assessment. "Maybe the lounge next to theirs, if it's empty"

"Go for it. I'll be up there in a minute. I'll contact you again when I can"

She muttered the affirmative. From here on out, it would be improvisation. Rashel took a breath, trying to focus on the actual objective here. This wasn't her usual methodology now they just wanted information. She hoped she could fight against her judgement tonight and stop herself from doing something reckless.

The platform was quite empty when she started walking along its length. Not too many had reserved up here tonight. Only a couple swayed past her, barely noticing her between making out and staying on their feet. She'd wished for more people to blend in to but it seemed that the group wasn't even concerned about being listened in on. They'd immediately gotten down to business.

She ducked sideways before she reached the final alcove, twisting and slipping into the one before. She couldn't see into the neighbouring lounge but that didn't matter. Even with a closed curtain, they were open enough for her to hear something when she leaned her back against the adjoining wall and concentrated fully on listening.

If this was really going to work flawlessly, luck had to be on her side. None of the inhabitants seemed to have noticed her. The conversation didn't let up and she kept perfectly still to give nothing away.

The Redfern heiress was speaking, her icy tone directed at the other three, "…why this is still debatable. We know there has to be a spy in high ranks…" a shower of sparks erupted near the stage and cheers drowned out her voice briefly, "…how many of our plans have been disrupted by those Daybreak fools. They're growing stronger because of you. My father's patience is running out. Why have there been no results?"

Rashel closed her eyes, trying to hear more clearly. Despite the girl's raised tone, it was terribly noisy in here. The barrier may not have been thick but it did repel most of the sounds from inside the space. She scooted closer to the closed curtains, turning her ear so she could catch something through the gap.

"It's not easy to get people to talk," a loud baritone voice replied, sounding defensive, "The chances of finding traitors aren't going to improve….Council threatens to assassinate anybody…connection with humans or Daybreakers"

"Those are measures taken because yours are incompetent," the lamia said frostily. Rashel had to strain to make out her words.

"None of the lords here have any connections to those ambushes," the booming voice added, "I've gone...There are no leads, especially not in Vegas. Coordinating so many groups all over the country efficiently…there would have to be evidence and…dead ends. They must be getting their information elsewhere"

"That's not possible. These…just henchmen carrying out orders; there is somebody else…access to the Council's decisions," Rashel heard Lily's words being hissed, sounding angrier by the minute, "Each attempted meeting between Circle Midnight and…has been disrupted by that group of scum. Every lead on the Wild Power, they have too. They know exactly when and where we act"

"Perhaps it would be sensible to consider the inner Circle members? There are still people that have not been…" the nasally voice rose again, tentatively and Rashel had trouble distinguishing the words when he spoke. She could imagine the fury whitening Lily's face at the suggestion though.

"The inner Circle," the girl snarled, "The oldest, most respected vampires in our history betraying another for peace with vermin? Are you out of your mind?"

"What about the witches, eh?" came a laid-back drawl, which Rashel assumed was the man she'd run into earlier. The voice was distinct and she assumed he sat closest to the outside, "You guys aren't famous for your discretion. I bet there's a whole lot of you working for those peace-lovers"

"Circle Midnight doesn't side with humans. We don't fraternize with those too weak to embrace the dark magic," the previous man snapped back, "There can't be a leak of information"

"Enough," Lily snarled, effectively shutting them up, "I need results, not excuses. I need the one responsible now. The faster we cut them out of the picture, the sooner those Wild Powers are ours"

"I heard the team you sent for that boy messed up bad," the blond punk remarked and despite the sounds blasting upwards at that moment, Rashel could distinguish the smirk in his tone, "Doesn't look like you've got the right guys for the job"

"Careful," her voice had softened, Rashel barely distinguished the words but understood it was a pleasant threat, "You're forgetting your place"

Silence followed and as it stretched, Rashel worried that they'd picked up on her. She focused harder, trying to listen for any movement. This had the same impact as the news of made vampires throwing bloodfeasts. Only now she saw everything on a far greater level with more people impacted by everything that happened.

Here she had Lily Redfern complaining that they hadn't rooted out the breach in the Council yet. It sounded like they hadn't considered Thierry but if he wasn't careful; he'd surely expose himself somehow eventually. Did he even know about this check-up being run on significant vampires? She would have to spread the warning as soon as they returned to the mansion. Who knew where these guys had snooped around?

"You want your information," the drawl finally returned, this time without any emotion, "You've got to start hunting someplace else. I've been on the heels of the big guys and they're all clean, like Fido here said"

"Obviously there is nobody is capable of doing a job right anymore," the lamia stated and Rashel got the distinct feeling that each of those people inside were at the mercy of her gaze right now, "I will get rid of each of you if you're of no use. Witch, werewolf and vampire and none of you can do a damn thing"

"With all respect…" the deep voice tried to start again but she cut across him without wasting a breath.

"I'm done here. There are other things on my schedule. Get me the guilty ones by the end of the month or I'll find _you_," she didn't have to add that the consequences for failure would be fatal.

"Hold up now," the drawl countered and there was a pause. Then a laugh that told Rashel he was pulling the ace out of his sleeve. "You're also looking for your brother"

She felt her heart practically stop in her chest. Time froze around her and she had to force herself not to make a noise then. What was the guy implying? Lily was silent as well, presumably giving the blond guy a look. Rashel pressed further into the wall behind her, desperate not to miss a word.

"Quinn is not my brother," was all she said and it was entirely toneless, a flat denial.

The grin in the punk's voice was undeniable. He knew he had her hanging onto his words now just as Rashel waited for more with baited breath. "But he's a wanted man now. And he's here in Vegas"

"So you say," Lily responded but it lacked the previous bite. He'd caught her off guard with that announcement. Rashel was sure she was battling her ego on the decision whether or not to ask him for details.

"Saw him with my own eyes when I was dumping bodies in the desert. He was out here. There was no mistaking the guy although now he hunts coyote like an expert. I lost him when he headed back into the city but he's here alright"

Rashel was having trouble keeping her breathing under control. This was getting much too deep for her liking. She wanted to wring the blond vampire's neck before he could say any more and yet she needed to hear it. She'd known that Quinn had gone hunting now and again when he couldn't handle bottled blood anymore but never had she imagined that somebody could see him. Or recognize who he was.

"He was feeding on animal?" the disbelief in the voice was overshadowed by disgust and marked her last comment, "Pathetic"

Silence met her words in the alcove and simultaneously, cheers erupted below as the DJ started another song. This situation was getting far too surreal for Rashel. She stared at the seat opposite her without taking it in all the while listening, anticipating.

"Find him," she finally heard Lily instruct, all emotion gone from her voice and replaced by the trademark icy authority, "Hand him over"

She didn't hear any answers but suddenly the curtain was thrown aside and the stunning vampire walked out, right past Rashel who'd turned her face away as soon as she heard the heels striking the floor. The lamia didn't turn back or look her way. She didn't register her at all. It seemed the news had riled her up more than she let on.

Rashel was still breathing irregularly, trying to digest all she'd just heard. She barely even registered the men on the other side still talking amongst another.

Quinn would have to leave Vegas the moment he got back. If this guy had already seen him once, he'd pick up the trail sooner or later. They would put the Daybreakers in danger by staying as well as risking being found by the Council. Unless…she leaned her head against the wall, still catching the sound of their voices. They were in reach while Lily had descended the stairs and was weaving through people towards the exit. She watched as the dark-haired vampire vanished.

She could attack right here, right now with the element of surprise on her side. If she timed it correctly, she could stab the vampire before the other two had a chance to react. She would save many people a lot of trouble. Her hands trembled with the effort of restraining herself. She had to make a decision. Now or never.

A strange feeling overcame her, a sensation like slipping into an old skin. She knew who she was; she'd done this kind of thing before. It was a risk she'd dealt with numerous times. Whoever those three were, they were only going to cause more damage to those she was fighting for, if she didn't step in. This was right. It was the responsibility she'd shouldered all her life and she could carry it again.

Rashel bent down, slipping the knife out of her boot. It was the same one she'd had with her on the enclave. She was going against instructions but she didn't care. They had the information now; there was no reason to keep these people around. On second thought, she also took one of the champagne bottles, holding it loosely by its neck.

She stepped out of her booth, hand already reaching for the neighbouring partition. The material swept back and she was inside, taking in everything in an instant as she raised her knife. The wolf's head had came up, catching her entrance with flaring nostrils.

She didn't event try hiding her intentions behind any drunk-and-lost act. Before he had time to move further, she delivered a high kick to his head, which knocked the man sideways.

The vampire leapt up from his spot, jumping at her. She let herself drop, evading the arms and thrusting her dagger into his leg when she hit the floor. His pained growl resonated in the small room. She hoped nobody came up to do check-ups on these lounges. The witch was yelling something and she was just about to take care of him when her ankle was grabbed from behind.

The wolf had joined the struggle, hauling her towards him with immense strength. She let herself slide until she was almost below him before striking upwards with her free leg. She hit the kneecap and although it didn't set her free, he buckled slightly and she had the time to smash the bottle on his hand, breaking the hold as glass bit into his fingers. He growled angrily and let up.

She was back on her feet and grappling with the vampire again as the wolf let out a ragged howl of agony. She couldn't see what was happening behind her, entirely focused on the lanky blond. His teeth had already extended and she read the threat in his expression now that she'd presented herself as an enemy. Her knife was in his hand now, dripping red and turned against her.

She couldn't afford to wait this one out. She covered the space in a second, feigning to her right. The guy fell for it, swinging his arm up to stick the knife between her ribs. At the last moment, she sprang sideways, clearing the table and landing on the witch who'd been chanting something intelligible. She wasn't very keen on another encounter with witch magic. They collided straight on and the frail man's head smacked against the wall with the momentum.

Rashel kept moving, rolling away from the body. Just in time. The vampire had followed her fall and the knife came down where she'd lain. The overpowering bass of another song drowned the witch's scream out as he took the hit. From the corner of her eye, Rashel saw the blood gushing and the hilt of the knife protruding from his chest.

She had the gap of a second to look over at the wolf. A sleek shape was fluttering around his head, claws and beak attacking the man's eyes. Besra had impeccable timing when it came to providing back up. The man already seemed blinded, relying on his other senses to swipe at the bird without catching it. It would heal but for now, they were a perfect diversion. Red tears ran down his face and Rashel breathed in grim relief.

Only one more to worry about.

She rolled into a crouch, sliding two fingers into her other boot to pull out her last weapon. The senbon needle was nowhere near as damaging to vampires as wood but used in the right place; it could cause sufficient pain to disarm anyone. She tucked it against her forearm, keeping it out of sight.

The blond had drawn back with the dripping weapon still in his hand. He stared down at the result of his misstep, then at Rashel. She wasn't even surprised to see his face void of remorse as the witch took his few remaining breaths. She doubted that any dark magic could save him with a lung that was filling with blood.

She hopped onto the table, knocking the remaining glasses to the ground. Using the height to her advantage, she flipped, aiming to hit the vampire square in the chest. He wasn't there when she came down though and she had to roll with the impact, ending in a crouch.

The guy had speed despite his height. He was behind her just as she came to a stop and a hand fisted in her hair, pulling her to her feet. She ground her teeth against the pain and elbowed him roughly in the side. She got the pleasure of hearing him wheeze but he didn't loose his grasp. One hand thrust her head back; the other crushed her own knife against her throat, leaking the blood of others down her skin.

"Hey," she heard him call to Besra, who was still wrecking havoc on his accomplice, "You want her to live, you get…"

Rashel couldn't see what was happening over there from her angle but she didn't have to. She had a different priority. She knew the pain receptive points of the body and enough of them were situated in the arm. Just like the one holding her dagger against her neck. Before he could restrain her further, she pushed the long needle into the junction of his wrist, jabbing it cleanly into the tendon.

His hand spasmed and whatever ultimatum he was about to state, was cut short by a violent growl. Although the uncontrolled motion pressed the blade into her flesh shortly, the dagger did drop from his fingers. She went after it, curling forward against the pull on her scalp and kicking backwards. The vampire tumbled with a yell as she hit his injured leg.

She mentally thanked whoever had chosen this place because all the cries were drowned out by the blasting music. The greatest indication of anything out of the ordinary was probably the movement of the curtains.

She snatched up the knife as soon as the pressure vanished, not wasting a moment in aiming the hilt against the vampire's jaw before he recovered. He didn't give her the satisfaction though and she was met with the uninjured hand grasping hers before she could deal the blow. He was definitely fast in his rebounds. Her knuckles crunched in the hold and she bit back a groan as he forced the knife away from his body.

"I don't do easy, baby," he laughed with bared teeth, hair falling into his eyes, "Especially not for damned Daybreakers"

She didn't reply, desperately trying to figure out a way to knock him unconscious so she could help take down the wolf. He pushed her off and she allowed the distance to quickly formulate a plan. The blond had different ideas. He was approaching, slower than before and she was backing up trying to find a strategy, driving herself into a corner. Not that there was much space here to begin with. She was losing the upper hand and she knew it.

"What was the big plan, huh?" he mocked her as he closed in, "Because you aren't good at the hit and run"

With that he sprung and she had no room to duck away. He hit her with his entire body, ramming her against the flimsy wall. There was no way to keep a hold on her knife. It flew from her hand with the force and she was alone with her body to rely on again. Her back hurt from the impact but the adrenalin was raging and obscuring the pain. He was too close; she had no range to move her legs.

She resigned herself to pulling the dirty tricks out of the bag.

Over his shoulder, she saw Besra changing back to her human form, landing on the ground and going in for another attack without delay. The wolf just didn't seem to be tiring but at least she was keeping him at bay. Rashel would have tossed her the knife, but she was slightly preoccupied at this point.

The blond grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him. A fuzzy feeling overcame her, the disorienting sensation of someone trying mind control on her. Although she'd gotten used to opening her mind to Quinn, he had also taught her further control. Her defensive mental shield had never been stronger. She grinned up at the young man and followed it with a punch to the gut.

It wasn't impressive because she didn't have the space but it got him swaying back enough for her to follow with a move she'd been trying for the entire time. She threw herself forward and struck him hard and precise in the temple. A simple attack as far as martial arts went but it had the desired effect. His eyes rolled back and he dropped like a stone.

She leaned against the wall momentarily to catch her breath. She could stake him right now but it wouldn't do anyone any good. She wasn't the only one dying to find out everything he knew. Daybreak could try to question him; get answers on what the Council, or at least the Redferns, were planning. She had no doubt he knew more than he'd told Lily.

Making sure he was truly out cold, she quickly grabbed her knife, switching it to the silver blade. She jumped over the body to join Besra's fray. The girl was having a difficult time taking down the werewolf twice her size. He hadn't transformed, surely out of concern that he could be discovered any second now, which gave them just the smallest advantage. Rashel leapt in from the side, landing on the brute's back to place him in a headlock. That distraction was the opening needed.

The shifter jumped up and delivered a deadly accurate punch that collided with the man's forehead. Werewolves having a thick skull was true but even this one couldn't withstand such a solid hook without getting dazed. As his resistance against her hold broke for a moment, she sliced her knife along his throat. His legs gave way and he fell, face-first onto the seat.

The silence after this fight was a deafening one. The music hadn't let up a bit, actually seemed to have grown louder all the time. Rashel was astounded that nobody had noticed the ruckus going on but then again, these lounges were designed for some privacy. Breathing heavily, she turned to examine their handiwork.

The place was a mess. Glass shards, blood and two dead bodies. Good thing there were no cameras inside these private alcoves. She quickly gathered her weapons and caught her partner's incredulous look as she straightened.

"What the hell is this? This wasn't part of the plan!" the shifter hissed between deep breaths, "I shouldn't have had to cover you because we weren't meant to _attack_ anyone!"

"Can we talk about this later?" Rashel stepped over the werewolf, debating what to do now that they were somewhat in control of the situation, "We need to figure out what to do with these guys and then get out of here"

The bruises forming on her body made the Asian girl look even tougher and she nearly exploded at the answer. "What to do? We leave them here. Goddess, I don't even know why you had to kill them in first place! We aren't equipped to take hostages and we weren't prepared to fight either"

Rashel was only half-listening. Besra had a point; they had no way to take these guys out without getting asked questions. It was only a matter of time until somebody found them up here anyway. Plus, the werewolf was a heavy dead weight. They couldn't each piggyback them.

"I'm taking him," she pointed to the unconscious blond behind her, "We need to bring him in for interrogation. He knows things that he could take to the wrong people"

"No, we don't. We already got what we came for," the shifter retorted, "Listen, we need to move now. We have bodies on our hands already. We got the info, we should have left right then. There's one simple rule – stick to the plan! You can't just do things how they suit you. Especially without warning me"

Another reason why she'd preferred working alone.

She found herself wishing Quinn were here. He would have understood, maybe not agreed either but understood. She took another look at the dead ones and decided to leave it alone. It would cost them too much time. She sighed, walking over to the unconscious vampire and dragging him up by his shoulders.

"I'm taking him," she repeated unflinchingly as she looped his arm around her neck and hefted the weight onto her, "Go ahead if you want to. I won't make you help me"

Besra simply stared at her, probably speechless with anger and Rashel could see the frustration and indecision nagging at her. She didn't blame her because in the worst case, this little escapade could have gotten them killed. They wasted a couple of precious seconds in this staring duel before the shifter caved in. She glared at her all the way though as she took the vampire's other arm. "You're explaining this when we get back"

She nodded and together they dragged the blond out of the VIP lounge. The shifter kept muttering under her breath, probably wishing she'd never been paired up with Rashel. She didn't think about that right now. The girl could be mad all she wanted, Rashel stood by her decision.

The bouncer didn't glance twice at them, obviously unsurprised to see somebody passed out on a Saturday night. Rashel breathed a sigh of relief once they'd exited the club and headed for the parking lot. A glance at the clock behind the hotel reception told her it was barely past two. They'd made it in record time.

They slipped into the car without much of a hassle, Rashel pulling the limp body onto the back seat with her. She checked again to make sure he was still out. She found herself wishing she had bast cord on her. She didn't like having him beside her unrestricted.

Thankfully, the driver didn't ask questions as he pulled out of the lot.

In the front seat, Besra was silent but Rashel could feel the tension emanating from her. They would have to talk about this; she really didn't want to leave this on a bad note. She looked down at the guy next to her and hoped Connor would take it without judging her too badly.

She hadn't just done this for her soulmate or to fulfil her own need for a fight – it didn't work that way. She'd done it because these people were a threat and she wasn't afraid to put herself in the danger zone to protect those she'd come to appreciate and care about.

"We can't take him to the mansion," Besra said coolly from the front, "The place isn't secured for prisoners"

"You know anywhere else?" Rashel asked wearily.

The shifter nodded, then lowered her voice again as she talked to the driver, giving him new directions. Rashel was glad for the help. That meant she wasn't furious enough to leave her completely to herself on this one. She would have dealt with it, as always, but it was good to have some support in this situation.

Rashel twisted the bloody knife in her lap, always keeping a watchful eye on the unexpected hostage. He was part of something big. He'd reached the stage where he could fraternize with Hunter's daughter about helping out the Council. There couldn't be a better source of information than a guy who stood with one foot in both the underground and the elite.

It looked like things were rolling at full speed on the other side of the Night World. They had the exact same agenda as Daybreak. It was a breakneck race to finding the Wild Powers.

She thought of Quinn and of everything she'd heard being said tonight. She replayed Lily's reaction in her head and her own response to what had been discussed in there. The same conviction filled her that she'd experienced in that fateful cellar, many weeks ago. She simply _couldn't_ have acted differently up there.

She just hoped it had been the right decision.


	16. Los Angeles

_A/N: Apologies for the long wait. I'm afraid following updates will take longer than before from now on. Since starting University, writing time has magically reduced itself to almost non-existent so I can only write chapters sporadically. Christmas Holidays are coming up though so there is hope for another update this month. Thanks for your patience and support. Hope you enjoy this one. _

_Day 22, 01:45, Los Angeles_

The world pulsed around him and Quinn felt himself grow increasingly tense with every minute he continued walking through the streets. Here in L.A he was right at home and that feeling was nagging at him more than he liked to admit. This was too familiar, too much like walking in his old shoes. Telepathic abilities didn't make him psychic but he was positive that something was going to happen tonight. Good or bad remained open.

They'd been in the city long enough and the goal of their mission was finally in reach. Slave trade was growing rapidly here; vampires looking to make quick money were becoming more organized, more efficient. Los Angeles provided the perfect capital for them.

Daybreak had become actively involved to try and sever the connections between traders around the country. Ironic, that he'd been one of those deciding over human lives just weeks ago. How appropriate it would be, to stamp the word traitor all over himself at this point. Whoever they would get rid off tonight was probably someone that mirrored his old self.

Setting up deals with shady characters, kidnapping people for money, and all of it for the sake of exercising his power over humans. His sense of time had changed since becoming a vampire but for the moment, it seemed that barely a day had passed since he'd stolen girls from the Crypt. Despite his newfound respect for humanity, the thought wasn't as disturbing as it should have been.

Now, here he was, focused back on the slave trade, albeit from a different angle. He wasn't a believer in karma but this was a coincidence he could amuse himself with. Fate seemed to be messing excessively with his life recently.

The only benefit of this mission lay in the fact that it could be carried out with force. After all the effort put into preparation for this night, Connor had set no limit to how far they could take their responsibility to ensure these vampires didn't continue in the business. That's where his expertise came in. That was surely the only reason he'd been assigned to this.

The group they'd been tracking for this job was large, around eight of them, and experienced in their work but no match for him. He'd been involved in this trade. He knew the signs and as a matter of fact, had discovered the trail first. He was certain that his team was capable of wiping out this fraction of dealers. They'd spent the last days gathering information and following the suspects until each member of the gang was confirmed.

Time to strike.

He paused across a low apartment building and leaned against a street lamp. His eyes searched the darkness around the complex, waiting for a movement. The plan was ever so simple but he had no doubts that it would work. Invasion, extermination, extraction. The shifter in the group had taken on the role of signalling their attack. They had to be fast in order to catch everyone in the building.

After days of patience, he didn't even try to reign in the anticipation brewing inside him. It was nearing two in the morning and he couldn't be more energetic. This was his time of day and he was itching to let loose. Anything he might have felt for the vampires in there evaporated at the thought of going in for the kill.

A flash of light across the road had him moving. He left his spot and darted onto the other side of the street. The basement door was open, the remains of the sprung lock and bolts on the ground. He smirked. The shifter was undoubtedly gifted when it came to wrecking lock mechanisms.

He slipped inside, taking a beat to pinpoint the right door. Ash should simultaneously be taking the floor above him with another werewolf and the last member on their team was responsible for securing the perimeter of the building. No one entered and no one left while they were busy cleaning out a slave trade lair. They couldn't afford to have a single one of the group escape.

He had the layout of the building memorized and quickly navigated around the basement hallways. He listened intently all the while, knowing that behind one of these doors he would pick up a chorus of subdued breathing. He walked silently on the concrete floor and assessed every inch of the darkness. Not a soul around.

It didn't surprise him. He suspected there was at least one guard with the prisoners. This was a more visited area than the warehouse they'd used in Boston; there was a greater chance of discovery. There would at least be one layer of security here, if anything to make sure the humans remained adequately restrained and shut up. Risky business to hold them in a building where humans resided above their heads but then again, especially in the middle of such a place, suspicions weren't likely to cross anybody's mind.

He froze at the end of the corridor, closing his eyes. He zeroed all his senses in on what he thought he'd heard a second ago. There – an arrangement of heartbeats. Too many concentrated in one spot to be a coincidence. He'd been correct in his assumptions.

He turned, confronting the steel door directly. He had surprise on his side and he was going to use it to the maximum.

His boot collided with the handle once and he felt the resistance of the frame shaking. Scrambling erupted inside the room and he wasted no time in attacking the door rapidly, each time concentrating the power on the same spot. Thrice more and the lock gave way. All it needed was a last gentle push and the door swung open of its own accord.

Quinn didn't rush straight inside. The moment he managed to glimpse inside the room, he leapt sideways to avoid the shower of bullets that greeted him. Back against the wall, he waited for the barrage to ease up. Apparently the one inside also realized he wasn't going to hit anything at this rate because the bullets stopped. Quinn didn't wait for his opponent to formulate a new approach and swung around the frame.

The guy was good. He had chosen to hover in a corner of the room after the shooting. Quinn had a second's notice of something springing from his right and then he was being thrown against the wall. He grinned even as the plaster cracked from the impact. This was precisely what he'd come for.

Although the other vampire towered over him by almost two heads, Quinn knew exactly that this wouldn't last long. He ducked and the punch hit the wall with a solid crunch. Instantly, he jerked up, grabbing the guy's head and pushing it down while he had the vantage position. The attack produced the same sound as the fist against the wall when the man's skull collided with his knee.

Quinn pushed the stunned vampire backwards and was rewarded with the gun knocking against his shoulder. He'd failed to keep track of the weapon, still grasped in the other's free hand. As the thug regained his balance, he shifted his attention to it. He wasn't in the mood for another instance of peeling bullets out of his body.

He spared a second to sweep the room with his eyes, catching sight of the row of people sitting against the far wall. All gagged, tied and either staring with glazed expressions or with heads turned away. None of them brave enough to try and make an escape attempt while the door stood open.

The momentary observation cost him. The thug's next punch landed on his abdomen and he doubled over, momentarily winded. Thankfully, his experience rarely let him down. He gripped the hand before it could be retracted and, with practiced ease, twisted the wrist until it snapped. The guy yelled as the sensation flashed through his arm, the sound resonating in the bare room.

He tugged, feeling the antagonized bones grind under his grip. Predictably, the other man leaned forward instinctively to escape the brunt of the pain. Quinn used the proximity for an upward elbow jab that snapped the guy's head back before circling his throat with his free hand. This vampire wasn't young but he was nowhere near the four centuries experience that Quinn possessed.

The man was struggling, trying to knock him off his feet with a kick but as the pressure on his throat increased, he faltered. Quinn used the distraction to lunge for the gun. Here, the other guy had the height advantage. As he eased the grip on the neck to make a grab for it, his opponent wrenched away and although his aim was off, he fired another barrage of bullets in Quinn's direction.

Swinging sideways, he let them pass him without a scratch. This was taking too long and the fight was already getting on his nerves. The man's arm would heal in the next minutes and he'd be back at the start. It was time to stop going easy. He leapt again, delivering a solid kick to the other's leg. A spasm of the muscle, a stumble, the last shots completely off and then Quinn had him against a wall. The empty gun dropped as they grappled for the upper hand.

He caught the guy's uninjured fist; slamming it back against the plaster and feeling the knuckles shatter with the force. Skin tore, blood dripped down the limb. No space to move, no bullets. The vampire's eyes grew large as he realized that Quinn had been holding back on him the entire time. In that instant, the realization of impeding death appeared to take firm hold of him. He thrashed wildly, snarling around his fangs.

_Don't even try_, Quinn told him. He used his speed, reached up to grab hold of the man's hair and ripped the head sideways. His other hand pulled back to shake the dagger out his sleeve. The guy barely had a second to react before the wood split his throat.

It wasn't natural for Quinn to use weapons on his enemies but tonight they needed efficiency. Everyone was armed and it was only fair that someone trying to pierce him with wood should die by it. He'd been sparring with Rashel so often using weapons that the use was becoming more familiar. He left the knife sticking in the chest as his opponent slid to the ground, rapidly bleeding out and shrivelling to a corpse.

Then, his eyes locked on the victims.

There seemed no pattern in the choices these guys had made. There were a handful of children; several teenagers and he counted five adults. Mixed ethnicities, both genders. Not that it concerned him, these people would have to be brainwashed and sent back to living their lives anyway. Thirty in all. They hadn't uncovered the client behind this bunch yet but it was likely that his team would find information upstairs.

Something caught his attention then. Several of the humans had been crying and screaming muffled things during the fight but now, a new sound had emerged. The cries of the dying. It was a sound that he'd not anticipated down here.

He recognized them easily and almost unconsciously singled them out. They were part of his life, his mind had been imprinted with the sounds long ago. A young boy was lying on the floor, cringing and yelling in pain. Beside him, a woman was whimpering through her gag, eyes squeezed shut and leaking tears. It didn't take long to figure out why.

Large patches of blood were spreading, soaking the child's stomach and the woman's chest. He felt a strange pang as he stared at the stains. The earlier bullets gone wild had found unintentional marks. Marks he'd been ordered to save. Some of the prisoners around them seemed torn between aiding them and trying to determine whether he would kill them too. Others took no notice, still staring straight ahead and evidently under mind control.

He stood immobile for several moments, simply watching the scene. His senses, sharpened, took in everything. The sweat of fear coating these people's bodies, the rasp of their breathing and above all, the smell of blood permeating the air. His mouth went dry and where his fangs had extended because of adrenalin, now they throbbed in hunger.

It had been so many days since his last taste of human blood. In his head they dragged out, growing longer and multiplying. It felt like months already that he'd given it up. His throat burned with greed as he found himself pulled in by the scent. It was becoming stronger, they were both losing blood fast. His humanity would tell him to stem the bleeding, to try and preserve these two lives. But he couldn't.

He'd done his part of the job in securing the room and getting rid of the enemy. He was responsible for the prisoners until the others finished. He'd accomplished what he'd come for and this situation was an anomaly. An exception.

That's how he was justifying himself as he moved forwards, coming to crouch in front of the two. The others shrank away, stiffening in their bonds. He could feel frightened stares on him but he shut them out. Both of the injured were dying. There wasn't much he could do about it. Even if he had the possibility of removing the bullets, they would not survive it. His focus drifted to the boy who was already lying in a pool of his own blood.

It would be a relief for him if the suffering ended.

Quinn swallowed hard but kept his eyes on the spreading redness. It would be a relief. He turned the boy around; resulting in more muffled groans pressed out behind the gag and his eyes met hazy blue ones. They were agonized and pleading. Not that it was emotion that Quinn could pay attention to in that second. It was the pulse he had beneath his fingers.

The body was light despite it being a dead weight as he lifted him from the ground. It weighed nothing in his grip and absently; he knew that his hold was surely too strong for the fragile physique. The wound at the height of the liver had disappeared under the blood. When he lowered his head to the kid's throat, he practically felt the life ebbing out of the boy. He'd have to be quick.

Rashel flashed through his head then, the way she'd looked at him on the train that first day on the run. His hands clenched involuntarily at the memory. This wasn't right. It wasn't and he knew it but he was so close already.

His teeth pierced the thin layer of skin and he tasted heaven.

The heat hit him first. The natural warmth of the body instead of the lukewarm substances he'd been forcing down. The richness of human blood ran along his throat like honey and he basked in every drop. It stilled a thirst he'd almost forced into a back corner but had always been there, craving, growing. Small hands gripped his shirt but he paid it no mind as he continued feeding deeply.

It didn't take long for the heartbeat under his mouth to weaken, dropping in frequency as he drank from the body. Muscles were loosening and the boy's head lolled backwards as unconsciousness set in. He felt it all but couldn't force himself to lift his head. The flow of blood was slowing and he drew deeper to keep the rush going. Only when the breath against his ear went silent, did he pull away and let the body slip from his grasp.

After abstaining, practically fasting, this was the ultimate high. He was on fire and every inch of him wanted more. When had he ever decided that living without it was the right thing to do? He opened his eyes and instantly fixed them on the next source.

The desire didn't ebb away even though the woman's eyes determinedly met his own. Her face betrayed a potent mixture of disgust, panic and fury but she stared at him with brave accusation. It wasn't surprising. He'd seen the look before, the disbelief that someone had killed and showed no remorse. She was pale; her breathing harsh and stuttering through the pain but that didn't deter her from holding his gaze.

He ignored what he saw there. It didn't matter anymore. Her entire front was tainted from the shot and her body wouldn't last much longer. Only a major artery would bleed out so quickly, internal bleeding was a given. She wouldn't make it. He wasn't thinking of anything but the blood pooling on the floor. Too much of it going to waste.

He forgot all about being gentle with an injured body as he grabbed her. He barely noticed the resistance; she slid across the floor in his direction despite all struggles. Her half-hearted kick caught him in the chest and his body responded without thinking, pushing the weakened victim onto the ground. The bound fists aimed for his face were an open invitation instead of an attack. Before she could land a hit, he captured them in one hand, briefly feeling the muscles strain against his hold. And as he sank his teeth into them, her gagged cries fell on deaf ears.

She was even better than the first. He wasn't going to be satiated. He never wanted to stop even though her legs kicking at his side were a distraction. Somewhere, his subconscious was prodding at him to break them, a simple twist to the knees, and remove the nuisance. He couldn't focus though. There couldn't be anything more important than the blood in his system, practically reviving him.

Reality only returned when his expanded senses picked up footfalls down the corridor. Instinctive alarm swept through him and he dropped his victim's wrists. She slumped against the concrete, eyes open but unseeing. He stood and backed away from the two bodies, hastily trying to get his composure back.

His head was buzzing from the overload. He hadn't drunk two people dry in a very long time. He must have looked like a junkie having received a long-needed fix. The disorientation and lack of self-control definitely applied. He shook himself, willing his mind to clear enough to be on defence. He wiped his mouth on his sleeve, which was already as soaked as the rest of his shirt. Several panicked eyes were on him and for the first time since arriving, he felt bothered by the attention. He'd just morphed from saviour to murderer.

What the hell was this guilt? He didn't want it, definitely didn't need it right now.

Quinn didn't have to turn to know it was Ash that walked in, practically radiating smugness. His presence was just about the last thing he could handle right now.

"We got them. Just five up there though, the others tried to bolt but didn't make it past the exit," the blond announced even as he entered the crime scene, "Those guys didn't…"

It actually took him longer than Quinn expected to notice the overpowering scent of blood. Or the fact that were more bodies on the ground than there should have been and only one of them a leathery mummy. When he did, he stared hard at the fallen humans, as if the crime scene could make the situation any more obvious. They looked like rag dolls, sprawled on the floor as he'd dropped them.

_I got the eighth. What else did you find? _Quinn inquired, ignoring the brief lapse in speech.

Amber eyes met his and Ash's raised eyebrows told him that there was no getting back to business anytime soon. _Man, nobody said you could snack on some of the prisoners._

He restrained a snarl. _They were shot. _

Ash's expression seemed to swap back and forth between disbelief and amused realization. His irises flashed to dark brown as he drew his own conclusions. _I get it. That's why you wanted to be the one to rescue them. So you could help yourself while the rest of us are doing the dirty work._

The urge to punch him worked its way into Quinn's fingers. He was nowhere near in the mood for this. Latest by the time they were on the plane back to Vegas, he'd be regretting what he'd just done. His self-control had lapsed for the first time during serious work. He was coming undone just when he thought he'd found the right balance between vampire and humanity. The smell of blood was still heavy around him.

If Ash said one more word on the subject he was pretty sure he'd be breaking some bones in the state he was in. He still wasn't thinking straight.

_That was obviously the master plan. _He didn't wait to see if the lamia got the sarcasm. He strode back to the prisoners and began the task of erasing memories. At least with two of them dead, there were only twenty-eight he had to worry about recalling anything from this episode of their lives. The little joys in life, he thought grimly.

It worked much more smoothly now that he was filled with new life. The high was subsiding, his mind felt like crystal and his senses sharpened. He could touch each human's thoughts with minimal effort, searching for the point where this nightmare had begun and taking away any recollections.

Eventually Ash followed his example, starting on the other end of the room. The prisoners stopped shaking and staring like paralyzed animals as they used mind control. Even the youngest ones ceased crying. Quinn removed binds and gags as he went, trying to ignore the dead as he stepped over the empty bodies. Nobody was cringing away from them anymore. Their eyes went vacant, their postures relaxing without bound limbs. They would stay that way until Quinn released them.

One of their werewolves appeared in the doorframe, inquiring on the progress. He looked thoroughly beaten up, obviously having dealt with some vampire trying to make a break. Quinn just nodded at the vampire corpse and didn't say anything when the man's eyes grazed over the additional two casualties. The bites were too obvious to be overlooked but he received no comment on the bodies.

"We're pulling the cars around the back. You can bring them out in sixes"

With that, he was gone and Quinn leaned against the wall, waiting as Ash completed the round.

_So. Why kill those two? _He immediately glared at the question. The lamia straightened from bending over the last human and faced him, then shrugged, adding; _don't tell me it was an accident. Quinn the infamous doesn't have accidents._

_They were shot, _he repeated, internally counting to ten.

The lamia actually laughed at that, gesturing wildly to the bites._ Right. Will you quit denying already? _

Quinn's gaze dropped to the pale remains, looking at the slack expressions. The woman's eyes had fallen shut otherwise he was pretty sure she'd still stare at him with a protective hatred. _Can't save what's already dead. _

_Funny, I thought you were off human blood. _Ash nudged the vampire corpse with his foot, grimacing slightly as some fingers broke off.

Quinn said nothing. This argument was useless. He brushed past his teammate to pull out the knife and got the first group to their feet. They stumbled ahead of him in complacent silence as he walked them out of the cellar. Why did everything here suddenly have to remind him of the Equinox? He brushed off the other vampire's eyes on his back. Ash would make sure he hadn't heard the last of this. He could already imagine the impending conversation with Thierry when he heard about the incident.

As exciting as the night had started, he suddenly wanted nothing more than to finish it as swiftly as possible. He handed over the prisoners to the waiting shifter, who grinned widely at him. "Didn't get enough of a fight down there?"

He chose to overlook the question with one of his own. "Did you find any evidence?"

She nodded as she helped a child into the car. "Noah is up there looking through the cabinets. Go ahead, we'll be fine here. Unless they kept a whole human zoo in there"

"Twenty-eight, three bodies," was all he disclosed before heading into the building.

Strangely enough, everything looked perfectly undisturbed. They'd done an excellent job of containing the fight to the apartment. Only when he came to the second floor, did he hear the music from above his head. Smart move. They'd disguised any scuffle behind some blasting rock tunes.

He shoved the door open with his shoulder, immediately walking into a corpse on the ground. The body had two clean stab wounds in his chest, presumably the werewolf's doing. Ash wasn't such a direct fighter that he attacked head-on. He shut the door and turned down the stereo. No need to have any angry neighbours over at this time.

"Were they so resistant that you had to override the noise level?" he questioned as he followed the sound of breathing into the adjacent room.

The hulking werewolf shot him a glance through a swelling eye when Quinn entered the living room. "We were going to take them alive but the fight happened too fast to keep track. The last one of them stabbed himself rather than give us more information. What about you?"

"There was only one guard down there. They're getting them in the cars now," Quinn joined him, "Have we found anything?"

"Not enough to pinpoint a client," the man's eyebrows creased in concentration as he sorted through the documents he'd piled on the coffee table, mindful of the smashed corner, "Looks like they never had much, unless they trashed it before we came. Maybe they have it in storage somewhere but we just have anonymous cheques, photographs of the prisoners and a couple of postcards. No names."

Quinn eyed one of the cards, picking up one of a New York skyline. He turned it, reading the brief contents. _30. Sundown 24. 1000._ He almost laughed aloud as he realized why a sudden feel of déjà vu overcame him at the composition.

"We don't need to find a name," he said slowly, "I know the handwriting"

Noah's expectant look barely reached him as he stood there, putting together the pieces. It was so typical that he wondered why he hadn't thought about in the first place. This was just like Lily, to have other people do her work for her. The last time she'd only cooperated personally because Hunter had surely told her to ensure the success of the bloodfeast at all costs. This here wasn't just slave trade; this was Lily practically running the business.

"Redferns," he declared, dropping the card back on the pile, "Striking good bargains"

The wolf swore and even Quinn couldn't resist a frown. This just emphasized once again that he couldn't get away from his past even if he tried. As wonderful as the idea of life with Rashel far away from all these political and familial issues sounded, it was utopia. There was nowhere his former family wouldn't have some kind influence.

"We should have guessed they were pulling strings on this," the wolf growled under his breath. "There shouldn't be a price for a life," he added gruffly, already gathering all the evidence and sweeping the papers into a bag.

The strange pull in his chest came back at the words. The two human faces swam in front of his eyes, their blood suddenly sticking to the back of his throat. Of course there was no price for a life. Nobody _should_ be deciding over someone's death but that's how nature worked. Predators and prey. They had been dying for reasons that he wasn't responsible for, he'd spared them longer suffering.

Not that it made him less of a killer. He could have let them bleed to death and be no better. He wished back the times he hadn't felt anything at such a trivial thing. He clenched his jaw, looking at the vampire corpses strewn over the floor. If this was a moral question, why didn't he feel anything looking at the shrunken bodies? No, just the goddamn, innocent humans plaguing his mind.

He tried to focus on the present as they stuffed the dead in trash bags and carried them down the fire escape. It was probably nearing three by now but with the darkness still cloaking them sufficiently to move around unnoticed. The others had gotten all the survivors into the cars. Everything had been going according to plan so far and yet he felt in no way victorious.

Apart from some broken locks, it was a perfect cleanup. If anyone investigated, it would be nothing more than a simple robbery and a missing person. The blood in the cellar could easily be that of the man under whose name the apartment was rented. The likelihood of a follow up was minimal.

By the time the sun was up, the bodies had been disposed of, the victims released back into their lives without any memories of their imprisonment and the five of them reassembled in their hotel rooms, packing up. Quinn's thoughts were back with Rashel as he tossed his things into the duffel and let his mind drift to what had happened in a very similar context. It had only been several days but he could think of nothing but returning to her right now.

He'd have to tell her what had happened. There was no possibility of keeping that from her in the long run. Not a pleasant thought. Truly, it wasn't such a big deal in the grand scheme of things but he knew himself well enough to be certain that one lapse would lead to another. He was slipping up.

He slumped into a chair beside the window, watching the sunlight gradually spread over the pavement and erase the shadows. He didn't have to squint now that his body was completely rejuvenated and his powers back at their maximum. It was hard to regret anything when he felt at his best. He could take on Hunter right this second and be certain he would win.

He couldn't stop the grim smirk that rose to his lips at the thought of the vampire. The possibility that he was here on the coast, where the Council had many strongholds, was high. If Lily was active around here, Hunter was sure to be close by, giving orders. Just thinking of Hunter's L.A. mansion, a place where he'd spent several years over the course of a century, made him feel strange. Both hate and excitement arose at the thought of facing the man again. Would he be staked on sight or would he be invited inside to die at Hunter's own hands?

No, the ancient vampire would surely take the time to run him through personally. They'd been down a long road together since Charleston and if Quinn was foolish enough to turn up on his doorstep, he'd surely want to do the honours. Three weeks had gone by and he still felt no regrets on trying to kill his foster father. He'd expected himself to relapse in that aspect when joining Circle Daybreak but the organization had surprised him. He found himself substantiated by everything he'd experienced so far. They'd shown him the other side and somehow, together with his soulmate, he could find a place in it.

Hunter's ideals seemed old now, too narrow-minded in his conception of the world. Honestly, Quinn didn't want a world ruled by the Council. He wasn't in the mood for an apocalyptic war, which was sure to come according to the prophecies. Ridding the world of Hunter at this point may not prevent the battle but it would sure as hell tip it in their favour. Perhaps he owed it to many people to try and kill Hunter. One of them being Rashel.

Thankfully, he was disturbed by a knock on the door before he could let the thought carry him out of the hotel. A one-man show couldn't deter the ancient vampire and he knew that. It never hurt to daydream about it though.

He rose and crossed the room, glancing at the clock on the bedside table as he went. It was barely past six, meaning this couldn't be room service. He dearly hoped the presence on the other side of the wall wasn't Ash. He needed a good couple of hours before being able to handle the lamia again. What he least expected though was the face of his soulmate staring back at him as he opened up.

Her expression had been serious but at the sight of him, a smile grew in place. "Hey," she greeted him and remained standing in the doorway, waiting for a reaction. How had his memory already failed in preserving this image of her? She was stunning, looking just as always with her simple clothes and confident stance but there was a difference about her from when he'd left. He wondered if it would always feel this way, always perceiving this as new and overwhelming.

He blinked, sorting his confusions before pulling her inside and enveloping her in a fierce embrace. She dropped the bag she'd been holding and held him back, hands fisted in his shirt just as tightly as he was clutching her. "Why are you here?" he asked against her shoulder.

"I'll explain in a minute," she promised and he sensed her consciously relaxing in his arms, "I'm glad you're okay"

What she left unsaid were the words projecting clear as day inside his head. _I missed you. _He made sure she knew that she wasn't the only one in that department. Having her here, so suddenly, so unexpectedly, crowned the list of the best moments during this entire mission. He had no idea what was going on but right now, it didn't bother him in the least.

Her lips found his of their own accord and he met her with equal vigour, sinking into the sensation of having her in his arms again. She backed up, nudging the door closed and leaning against it. He moved with her, never letting the touch break and he would have sworn that there was no greater bliss than this kind of reunion. He buried his hands in her hair, wanting to convince himself with every contact that she was truly here. The questions lay on his tongue but he kept it busy, not wanting to detract from the moment just yet.

Every motion brought back the intense desire they'd acted upon days ago. He felt it in the scrape of her fingers over his shoulders and he returned it with each caress of her face, her neck, her waist. Even though the fire was burning, they kept it at bay, far too caught up in each other's presence to take it up a notch just yet. When she pulled back to breathe, he leaned his forehead against her collarbone and felt the thunder of her heart through the skin. Undoubtedly, the most welcome sound in the world.

_I think you managed to surprise me._

She laughed lightly, tracing the top of his spine with her fingers. _That holiday we were talking about – I'm taking it early._

He stood straight to look at her, ruffled, smiling but with new sobriety in her eyes. He pushed a strand of hair away from her face and lingered against the heat of her skin. However, the statement didn't convince him entirely. There was an undertone that he didn't quite trust. _And you decided to come to L.A. for this break? Some recreational vampire hunting or what?_

_Not exactly. _She took a breath. _We have a problem. _


	17. Contemplation

_A/N: A big apology for the extremely long wait. Between lacking inspiration, battling with myself over where I want to take the story and Uni work piling on my desk, I've finally gotten around to completing this chapter. There are more in the works but there is an end in sight. In my procrastination I've reworked all the chapters a little, editing some parts to fit the novels' universe/timeline more exactly and correcting errors. Thank you to everyone who has been loyal to this story and has been so patient. I hope you keep enjoying!_

_Day 22, 17:31, Flagstaff_

"This is the place," Rashel announced. She stretched across the passenger seat, nudging the dozing vampire in the side. He'd stirred at the sound of the engine turning off but had obviously not wanted to join the waking world just yet. She had to hold back a smile at his irritated glare against the sunlight through the tinted glass. It wasn't his time of day yet.

She admired the ease with which he slipped into alertness, despite having slept half of the way. The drive had taken her longer than expected but she'd grown more relaxed on the open road. The further away from big cities they were, the less likely they were going to be spotted by someone else that could give away their whereabouts. Not that she was a fan of areas with so much open space. She was still used to the shadows of tall buildings, to suspicious alleyways and the dingy atmosphere of docks.

He caught her eye and in their connection, she also sensed reluctance in him. She couldn't pinpoint where it came from but she guessed it was the same kind of scepticism she had about this plan. Or their conversation that morning.

When she had explained the situation in Vegas to him, he'd barely said anything but his fingers had twitched at the mention of Lily. He'd looked at her intensely, as though he willed her to have injuries severe enough to justify going after the lamia immediately. He'd resorted to listening to the rest of the story and was taken aback at her success in retrieving information from the captured vampire.

As it turned out, the guy had been quick to open up after presenting him with an ultimatum. It was either sharing details of the partnership with the Redferns or very simply ensuring that the Council got their hands on terribly implicating intel. Anything they did to him would be a joke compared to what century-old vampires would do when the news of betrayal reached them. No need to use violence when blackmail worked just as well. She'd put Quinn's advice to good use.

It had been surprisingly easy. He'd bought her bluff after painfully accepting that his mind control had no more effect than in the club and that he couldn't force his way out of there. The man was a good spy, if anything. A survival specialist who came to see what was best for him in this dilemma. She'd left him in the witches' capable hands to salvage the situation and consider her options with Thierry.

The news that Quinn was in Vegas had already been spread, she couldn't stop that. She would have been stupid to assume it was safe to continue as before. They could lock themselves into the mansion in the hope that the search would stop after a couple of weeks and that nobody would come to suspect Thierry's influence in the matter. She had suggested remaining in the city and fighting off the thugs sent to find them, already anticipating the answer.

The vampire was quick to object that they would be putting themselves in unnecessary danger and more importantly, endanger the Circle standing behind them. The third option was to leave for some time; remain in a safe house away from the danger zone until a better solution was found. A month ago she wouldn't have cared about casualties as long as she was getting rid of vampires. Now, she had to agree.

She'd come to see that whatever action she had taken, leaving Vegas would have been inevitable. It was the longest they had stayed in one place and they'd grown comfortable to some extent. She was neglecting her tendency to be cautious and avoid leaving tracks. Taking out Lily's lackeys hadn't helped to fix the situation but it had sent a signal. One that she was happy to leave the lamia with – cutting off a vital supply of information gave Rashel some satisfaction.

They had just settled into a place that resembled some form of stability and now it was gone. Looking over shoulders again, thinking two steps ahead again. Not knowing when it was entirely safe. She would always adjust but she realized she'd actually grown very fond of being around people who all worked towards the same goal. People she had never expected to enjoy having a conversation or a spar with. She was certain they'd return but until then it was another trip into the unknown.

Quinn had been pensive while she laid out their options and pointed out the location that she'd been recommended. She'd been too wrapped up in the plan to notice his silence, being the prepared one for a change. After showing him the maps, he agreed that Flagstaff seemed to be just the kind of seclusion they needed but large enough to avoid being noticed as newcomers. Not that Arizona was the farthest place from Vegas but it was a more low-key location.

Being close to natural tourist attractions and populated enough to have a university, the town was one of the last places a search party would pick unless they were tipped off. More of a happen-to-drive-through-on-a-road-trip kind of place. Really, it was most likely the home of werewolves or shifters, looking to have authority over their own territories without the Council hounding them.

He hadn't objected to leaving straight away and she didn't question it, more relieved that he supported her in a decision she had made without him. She'd feared that he would have his own agenda when it came to being sought out by Hunter. That he wouldn't agree with the idea of hiding out. To be honest, she would have favoured the fighting approach as well but she agreed that it would be futile in the long run – there would always be another lackey to take the place of the one they defeated.

Now though, parked in front of a house on the outskirts of Flagstaff, the unease she sensed underneath his demeanour was starting to concern her.

"What is it?" she queried, hands loosely on the wheel. He shifted against the seat but kept his eyes roaming across the quiet building outside, analysing the place. She forced herself to be patient, tilting her head to look at him. "Quinn?"

"I fed today," he said softly, gaze fixed ahead.

That wasn't an answer she had considered in this context. Green eyes studied his expression, coming up with nothing from the blank look. It took her several moments to read between the lines, sense his tension and realize that he wasn't talking about an early morning animal hunt.

It didn't hit her as hard as she expected. In fact, she was surprised that her first emotion wasn't disappointment or anger but empathy. He hadn't specified it but from his tone, she gathered that the donor wasn't around anymore. There was no condescension in her voice when she asked, "Who?"

That question irked him. He'd expected anything from 'why would you do that?' and 'how could you?' to 'was it an emergency?' The identity of a victim was usually the absolute last thing he considered. Who that kid and the woman were, hadn't mattered then. They had no more identity to him than the vampire he'd taken out. He didn't have a satisfactory answer for her.

He returned her gaze as he explained, "Two hostages. They were kidnapped, supposed to be sold. We raided the building and I took charge of freeing the humans"

Her gaze didn't waver, coaxing for more. Understanding was spreading over her features. "You were meant to rescue them?"

"Those two were shot in the fight with the guard. I spared them pain by ending it"

She didn't say anything to that but he could see she was struggling with a reaction. He didn't need to explain why he'd fed from them instead of letting them pass away from the injuries. Instead of trying to save them, even. They'd had this conversation before. The silence that followed seemed to spread across an eternity before she conceded, "It sounds like it was an accident"

She couldn't imagine the kind of craving he'd felt this morning. The only reason he hadn't preyed on her during their last fight in Boston was because he had been satiated with human blood at that time. They'd both been hurt and had he been drinking animal then, he might have just turned on her. It was frustrating to no end. He closed his eyes against the afternoon glare of the sun, tone dropping to sarcastic. "And there will be more accidents. In any fight, somebody can bleed around me. What do you think will happen if I can't control myself?"

Rashel's hands tightened around the wheel. "What do you want to hear from me, Quinn? That I'm fine with you feeding from people? That I am fine with it, accident or not?" she grew quiet for a moment and he had half the urge to reach out and see what thoughts were colliding in her right now, "If I can't change it, I'll accept that. I can't force you but I know it can work. You've only just started going on different blood. I think if you continue, you _can_ build a resistance. You're strong enough and…if there are more accidents, I'll try to be there and help you handle them"

The hand that made contact with his arm was firm and it was a touch he didn't expect. She looked at him unflinchingly and there it was again – that determination and earnest adoration that made him want to be better for her. _I want to help you, if you'll let me._

She stunned him time and time again. Maybe he'd secretly wished for her to be angry, to make him feel some form of guilt, but she didn't judge him that way. She showed understanding and it triggered so much more. He let out an unneeded breath, wondering how she managed to break him down so far that he could do nothing to deny her request. Maybe it was her reasonability, how devoted he was becoming to her, the way her soul was bare to him when they touched like this. She believed so much in him.

_Sure, _Quinn caved in. Her answer was a smile and the atmosphere instantly changed. She was still looking at him but a solemn expression gradually spread over her face. Her eyes lowered to rest on the hand that had found its place curled around his wrist.

_I realized something while you were gone this week_, she told him, _and it's scary to think… when I attacked that group, I wasn't worrying about getting into trouble. I thought about what would happen if they found you, how much I wanted to prevent that. I… wouldn't know what to do without you anymore. _

So he hadn't been the only one to feel a strange void in these past couple of days. It was an emptiness to be filled with a presence that he knew could only be Rashel's. He felt relief wash through her as she found that his thoughts mirrored hers. He leaned over, thumb tracing along her jaw. _You've got me._

_I do, _she agreed and bridged the distance. He'd never get tired of her lips meeting his, hot against the coolness of his body. It took him the usual copious amount of self-control to pull back and focus on what lay in front of them. She too sat back, removing her hand from him to unbuckle.

"You said there were other soulmates here?" Quinn asked as they stepped out of the car into the afternoon sun. It was hot here and while Rashel enjoyed the light against her face, the vampire beside her slipped on his sunglasses again. They were both back to business, wary in their new environment and keeping enough distance between them to have the freedom of movement if any surprises were waiting. Though Rashel doubted there was trouble. Thierry had been very reassuring about this safe house.

"You've seen them before, they were at the briefing last week," she recalled as the headed up the drive, "Ash knows them"

"If that's any indication…" Quinn muttered but she just shook her head at him. She doubted the lamia kept company that was similar in personality. She imagined impeding disaster if he was to ever meet someone just like him. She scanned the property as they climbed the steps to the front door. It was _nice_, everything painted in earthy tones with a large veranda and a surprisingly lush front lawn. Possibly explained by the fact that there was a witch staying here at the moment.

Rashel didn't even need to raise her hand to the bell. She supposed the others had noticed them arrive a while ago; they'd taken their time in the car. The door swung back and a beautiful pale face greeted them with a smile. Behind the witch, her human counterpart was hovering with a curious expression.

"Hey, I'm Gillian" the girl stretched out her hand, eyes shining, "You're the two who came from L.A.?"

"Rashel," she answered, accepting the gesture. Her hand looked just as porcelain as the rest of her but she actually had a half-decent grip. Rashel nodded over to the vampire beside her, "This is Quinn"

"I'm so glad you made it, we've really wanted to meet some others from the Circle," the violet gaze drifted to the human boy who'd moved to stand beside her. So close, the bond between them was obvious; she'd been right about them when she'd first seen them. She briefly wondered what it was like for the boy to have been brought into a world he'd probably not known existed.

"David," the one in question introduced himself, then threw a glance at Quinn, "Do you want to come in? From what I've heard vampires aren't fans of sunlight"

That roused a laugh from Rashel before she could stop herself. Of course, from the human perspective her soulmate looked very much like a trademark vampire right now – dark appearance, wearing dark clothes, skin suspiciously pale and hidden behind sunglasses. Her partner was equally bemused by the observation but he contained his reaction better, only raising an eyebrow at the statement.

"You did your research," Rashel supported the guy, who looked slightly flustered at their responses. She was starting to like these two. They still had the carefree attitude of two teenagers on an adventure. At the same time, they were part of a society where they had to find their way as couple that belonged to two worlds at once.

She followed the invitation, heading into the remotely cooler interior of the house, Quinn falling into step behind her. It was cosy. Someone had actually taken the time to furnish and decorate it to look like an ordinary home, a place where she'd expect a family to live. She was used to safe houses of the rundown-apartment-warehouse type. Then again - when it came to Thierry Descoudres, she wasn't surprised anymore.

She was distracted when Quinn posed another question to the couple behind her, "Why are you staying here?"

It was doubtful that they were also on the run and hiding out. Thierry hadn't given her many details about them apart from the fact that they had been staying here for a couple of days and were one of the few soulmates that weren't officially integrated in the Circle yet.

"From what they told us, another witch usually stays here and takes care of the place. It's just a stopover for us, we're trying to catch as much sun as possible before heading home tomorrow," David explained, leaning against the doorframe of the kitchen, "We've got vacation back there now so we decided to get away for a while"

"A lot of things happened this winter," Gillian added, filling in the missing pieces, "I found out I was a witch, I found out about the Night World and…things were a mess. But I met someone who told me about Circle Daybreak and managed to find me a contact. I've been speaking with this girl, Thea, and she's a real Harman witch. Now that we're on school break, I convinced David to meet with her. Last week was the first time we saw the headquarters and it's just…everything is so incredible"

"Incredible when you think about how all this has just existed under our noses the entire time," the tone of David's voice suggested a mixture of wonder and agitation all at once, "It's crazy"

"In theory, just knowing about it is your death sentence," Quinn interjected dryly, causing the human to stand a little more tensely, "Good thing you have a witch on your side"

Rashel had half the urge to send him a warning but she decided against it. If these two had been introduced to the Night World rules, they knew that it was risky business.

"Is that how you met Ash Redfern?" she wondered aloud as she walked through the living room, eyeing the paintings that she was fairly sure were Thierry's choice of decoration. At least if the ones in the Vegas mansion were anything to go by.

"No…uh, yeah I guess. Do you know him well?" the blond girl turned her attention to Rashel, who simply pointed at Quinn. He cleared his throat, pointedly staring back at her but she didn't give him the satisfaction of avoiding the topic. Her mental grin wasn't helping. _You're technically step-cousins of sorts, who could know him better?_

He didn't deign that comment with an answer. "We do," he finally supplied.

Gillian didn't seem put-off by the curt answer. "He was nice to me even though he didn't know me at all. I went into one of _those_ clubs by mistake and he saved my life. Those people, they were… the scary version of you"

This time Rashel had to turn aside to hide her smile, opting to lean against the edge of an armchair. Quinn's thoughts on that reached her nonetheless and she had to wonder what the witch would have thought if she'd met him a month ago. _If only she knew. _

She caught the girl's eye and gave her a reassuring nod,"If it's any consolation, I'm the person who takes care of those scary versions. And we'll be here for some time"

"They mentioned that when they called to give us a heads up," David flashed a smile at his soulmate as he added, "That's a great way to prepare someone for guests by the way, just mention that one of them is a vampire and the other is a vampire hunter"

"Probably Nilsson," Rashel could just imagine him stating it casually over the phone, considering it a minor detail.

"We've had our times. But we've toned down the urge to kill each other," Quinn replied with such a straight face that the other couple exchanged a glance, clearly debating whether or not they should stay in the same building.

There was a pause that hovered in the room and Rashel suddenly became aware of the fact that these two probably weren't as accustomed to their lifestyle as the rest of the Daybreakers at the mansion. When it came down to it, they were still high school kids who'd recently gotten wrapped up in something that was much larger than them. She doubted that their story was anywhere near as insane and dangerous as hers and Quinn's.

She was just starting to consider smoothing over the situation by explaining that they truly had no intention of causing trouble, when Gillian piped up again. If she was perturbed by the dynamic between them, she covered it nicely. "In that case, do you want to see the rest of the house?"

"Sure," Rashel accompanied the girl through the hallway into the kitchen, the boys lingering behind them. She could get used to this place. Far smaller than Vegas but considering that it was all for them to use as they pleased, it was quite impressive. There was a large yard out the back as well, mostly shielded by shrubs and with a view of mountains rising in the distance. She'd definitely get around to manifesting her vision of standing on top of a mountain here.

It took a half hour of exploring the place until they had a moment to themselves again. The other pair had gone downstairs to conjure up some food, which Rashel was thankful for. They weren't obligated to do them any favours but Gillian hadn't hesitated in asking if they wanted to eat together. She hadn't stopped during the drive for anything besides filling up gas, so a home-cooked meal sounded brilliant right now.

She nudged open the door to their new quarters with her elbow and tossed her bags onto the nearest chair. Quinn had chosen the larger one of the free rooms and although it would have been a perfectly valid option for her to take the adjacent one, she never considered it. In such a short period of time, she'd grown so used to sleeping in the same bed. It seemed unnecessary, ridiculous even, to take a room for herself now.

He had pulled down the blinds to keep out the steadily sinking sun. The room was tinged in cool shadow. His eyes were even darker in this light when he turned and saw her thoughtful expression as she surveyed the room. "What?"

"I'm thinking about those two," she told him, "They're so…"

"Innocent?" he suggested, a knowing look crossing his features. She considered that and although it wasn't exactly what she'd been going for, it did fit.

"You say that like it's a terrible thing," she sat on the mattress, crossing her legs underneath her, "The world isn't such a hard place when you haven't experienced the bad things"

"Being oblivious doesn't make anything easier," he objected.

_Maybe not but it lets you live a normal life_. She stopped herself from continuing that thought because it was something that she'd never planned on considering or letting it out that way either. Of course he'd heard it. Quinn was looking at her and the understanding of where she was going with this began to sink in. There was a cautious undertone to his question when he asked this time around.

_You envy what they have?_

She shook her head, ponytail swishing across her shoulders. She didn't want normal, she _couldn't_ want it after all this time. It would be unfulfilling, she wouldn't fit in it and neither would Quinn. Now, she was here because she hadn't chosen the ordinary path. But sometimes, trivial things like high school, homework and teenage issues reminded her that 'not knowing' would have made everything very different.

_I don't. But I think it's good for _them_ to want it. They try to go on with their lives even though things have changed. They're not giving up everything to join Daybreak but they are finding their place in it._

He still didn't look convinced. _They're young, they don't know any better_.

_I'm young_. She held his gaze with expectation. She knew it wasn't a comparable situation but if he was going to use that argument he should think it through. She might be experienced beyond her years in certain things but that didn't make her older than seventeen. Far too young for everything she'd seen and done. Then again, when she'd taken up hunting she'd never seriously thought about living past the age of twenty and here she was, almost eighteen and still alive.

_But you're not like them_, he was quick to remind her. He was right, as always. Rashel couldn't argue with that and she didn't feel like trying to either. She unfolded from the bed, moving to unzip her bag and change into something more comfortable.

Quinn's voice reached her, laced with something almost like sympathy. "Rashel, if this is bothering you…"

"It's not. You're right, I'm not in the same situation," she was quick to assure him, picking out a fresh shirt, "I can always finish school when things have settled down"

"One of the few that _wants_ to go back there," he noted and she rolled her eyes at the ceiling. It wasn't like she would be going back to socialize. Dealing with people her age could be a pain but honestly, she didn't have anything to her name but a vampire hunting career that most of the world didn't even know about. She wasn't about to frame a certificate with her kill count. Finishing school would be a start to this new life they'd been working on.

"It would be something to do between now and preventing the apocalypse," she shrugged, peeling out of her top. The one she held in her hands was her own, something she'd bought while she had lived in Boston. It was one of the few pieces that she still had from that chapter.

She sensed him coming closer as she pulled the fresh shirt over her head and wasn't all that surprised when his lips pressed up against the nape of her neck. _I could think of better things to do, _he murmured. She would have been irritated at his refusal to take her seriously, had she not been thrown off track by the touch.

_I doubt they're as educational_. She let out a breath and relaxed her shoulders.

_I'm practically a combination of every textbook you can find, _he countered and she could feel his hands, every finger a whispery contact against her arms. A smile worked its way onto her face at the change in enthusiasm and she tilted her head, away from the ministrations on her neck. Her nerve endings were tingling, the electrifying sensation of their connection making her surroundings feel hazy. She didn't move aside but stayed very aware of their proximity.

_What do you know about teaching? _

He was definitely smug about that one. _More than enough. _

_No…it won't work. S_he shook her head and he stopped his motions, a rush of air across her neck when he drew back. She gradually turned around to face him, closing the space again. Bottomless eyes for her to drown in, betraying that he wasn't quite sure about her misgivings. "I'm not supposed to be in love with my teacher"

That earned her a grin and an equally cliché answer, "But you're so good at breaking rules"

"That was you," she shot back. Before he could get in another reply, she took the initiative and leaned in to kiss him. That effectively undermined any argument and his fingers were back on her in an instant, splayed across her hips. Her blood started pounding in her ears, the rush of their link driving her thoughts into incoherence.

This morning they'd left as soon as she'd recounted the recent events, taking time for nothing but grabbing Quinn's things and finding a vehicle. Thankfully the werewolf team leader agreed to let them have one of the cars. She hadn't realized how much she'd been waiting for this the entire trip across the state. They'd been apart for a handful of days and her self-control had really started to fray around the edges.

Her soulmate was setting a leisurely pace though, as if he'd forgotten the taste, the feeling of it all. Her recollection was still very much there but she followed his lead, slowing her hands on the path they were tracing up his sides. His skin was cool underneath her fingers, the occasional bump of scar tissue intercepting her. Had she turned blind at this point, she would have enjoyed mapping out his body just as much with her hands creating the pictures.

Patience had always been one of her strongest suits but in this kind of situation, there was urgency rising in her that she couldn't explain. In a life of restraint and self-control, these moments were a release of the best kind. Every time his hands found that spot under her hipbone, she couldn't stop herself from shuddering in the grip. He was pushing buttons and she met him with equal teasing, drawing her hands down along his shoulder blades.

Only the distinct rumbling of a hungry stomach pulled them back to their surroundings. Quinn paused, allowing her to come up for air and she groaned at the loss, hands restlessly clutching at his shirt. On cue, her stomach repeated its call for food. She opened her eyes to find him openly smirking, obviously suppressing a laugh. His amusement wasn't enough to mellow her mood.

"I guess you should take care of that first," he suggested, fingers still drifting aimlessly along the back of her neck. As much as half of her disagreed with that, the other half was picking up the smell of tomato and cheese wafting through the house. She hadn't consciously paid attention to it but now that her focus was back on dinner, it made her mouth water. This kind of inner conflict about setting priorities was new.

She finally nodded, reluctantly detaching from him and running a hand over her hair. "Splitting myself would be convenient right now"

"Inconvenient if I can't have all of you," he decided and immediately earned himself a gentle fist against the shoulder. He just _had_ to talk as though he was provoking her to jump him right this second. Had she cared less about the other two sharing the house with them, she might have. This was still new ground though and she was definitely not over _that_ threshold of comfort yet.

"Later," she told him, determinedly quenching any images that appeared at the thought of continuing this where they left off. She needed something else to capture her attention and as long as he was in front of her that wasn't going to happen. "I'll see if I can help with anything"

Pressing her lips against his cheek briefly, she slipped past and headed downstairs. The delicious smell she'd noticed intensified as she walked into the kitchen. The soulmate couple didn't notice her in the doorway for several moments and she settled there, watching the domesticity between them. Once again she was struck by their normality. She didn't miss the startled look from David when he turned around, arms stacked with plates. Force of habit, she just couldn't bring herself to walk loud enough to be heard.

"Anything I can do?" she asked.

Gillian glanced over her shoulder where she was chopping at the counter and smiled. "We're fine thanks, it's almost done. You can get yourself a drink if you want"

Taking a bottle of water out of the fridge, Rashel perched on a kitchen chair opposite the human. She had to grin at the sight of four places that he'd laid out, probably out of common courtesy. It made her realize how far she'd already adjusted to her soulmate not eating. At least nothing that fell into her range of food.

"Quinn won't need one," she explained to David, who looked as though he was going to ask the obvious question for a second. Then it clicked and he had that sheepish expression again as he put the plate away.

"Still getting used to that," he justified himself.

She waved him off and opened the bottle, taking a sip, "It takes some time"

"How long have you known about this…world?" Gillian placed a full bowl between them, amethyst eyes gleaming with curiosity. "It seems like you have a lot of experience"

She took a moment to answer that, watching the girl as she dished out the salad. Her all-time favourite question, which would inevitably lead into a life story. She still didn't enjoy talking about herself. "When I turned five, my mother was killed by a vampire," she said. On second thought she added, "My least favourite birthday"

At this point, it came out as a dry statement of truth whenever she was asked. She'd gotten the question several times during her stay at the mansion, especially from people who were interested in why she'd become a vampire hunter. The memory had returned in its full brutal glory after her last encounter with Hunter and she didn't like bringing it up. If she let it get to her head, she'd pick up her sword tonight and roam this little town. She might even skewer a careless vampire if she got lucky.

Apparently it wasn't something the other two had expected. The witch's expression morphed into a mask of sadness and the boy's eyes grew wide in shock. "I'm very sorry," Gillian was the first to voice it and Rashel only shrugged, never being any good at receiving consolation. Especially for a tragedy they had nothing to do with.

"It's been a while," she noted, having a mouthful of salad. Instantly, she was reminded how hungry she was at this point and dug in. Probably a very blasé gesture during this conversation but she wasn't one to let sentimentality distract her. The others didn't say anything but from their silence, she figured they were having a mental conversation about how her life must have been ruined from that point onwards. David rose to get the Lasagna out of the oven and Gillian chose the chair beside her, fingers fiddling with her glass.

"I'm sure she would be proud of you," she said eventually, offering Rashel a gentle smile.

She'd expected them to drop the subject. She couldn't help herself, staring at the girl in surprise. Maybe it was a witch thing to have a sympathetic streak that came across so honest but really, she couldn't remember anyone having said this to her. Not even her Sensei, who had been so impressed with her accomplishments, had ever spoken that way. She swallowed her bite past the strange new lump in her throat and forced herself to nod in thanks.

Thankfully David returned to place the steaming meal on the table, blowing on his fingers and diverted their focus. She was glad to have time to mull over the words while enjoying the best home-cooked dinner she'd had this past week. She complimented the two on it and Gillian nearly made her counterpart blush when she revealed that he'd done most of it. Heaven forbid, there were still men out there that could cook. She doubted Quinn knew how to make anything beyond a sandwich. Not that he had any need to.

Now that he wasn't around to distract her, she brought up her earlier thought again. "How do you do it – handle your regular life and all of this?"

"I guess most of it still is normal. School kind of has priority; my dad would kill me if I dropped out now for no good reason, or for a good reason that I couldn't explain to him. I still want to get into college," David glanced at Gillian, "And let's be honest, we have no idea what to do otherwise"

"It's not that much longer until graduation. I can learn about my powers back home, I wouldn't be of much help here yet," the girl agreed, "It was great to meet everyone and we'll definitely be back to visit I think…but we can't just leave home. I can't expect David to leave. He's not responsible for me being a witch"

"I get it." So they were both attached to families, to friends and a notion of belonging somewhere. She supposed those were strings that were hard to sever. She hadn't been given the choice so she'd made sure to never get attached. Looking back now, it would have been a pain to develop feelings for each of her foster families only to leave again every couple of years.

She scraped the last bits of her second helping together and chewed for a while, thinking about those words. They made it sound so easy to continue as usual despite being part of something much greater than them. Maybe she just wasn't the person to withdraw from the fight and return to that life. Maybe it was her responsibility to stick with what she did best, kill the monsters and save lives in the process. She had more than enough time to think about it now that they were here.

And really, what did a high school diploma mean when the world ended?


	18. Conflict

_Day 25, 23:49, Flagstaff_

Quinn came up on the edge of the ridge, crouching in the shadow of a boulder to scan the ground below. He'd put a good few miles between himself and the town, there wasn't a stray camper out here this time of year and he still had to spot anything larger than a bird. He glanced up as his surroundings brightened, aware of his shadow stretching.

The moon was almost full tonight and although the sky was clouded, the world was tinged in eerie white every so often. Not that it bothered him. His eyesight was excellent and even if it was pitch black, he could rely on his other senses to stalk a victim. Apparently not from up here though. The stretch of land in front of him was deserted. Perhaps a predator had already scavenged this area earlier and scared away the other wildlife.

He decided to head into lower lands. If he was going to find something adequate to feed on soon, he speculated that it would probably be no carnivore. Stretching his legs, his leapt off the outcrop and landed on the uneven surface below. Veering to the east, he searched for tracks amongst the trees. The last time he'd been out here, an animal had practically meandered into his path. Today was slow going compared to that.

Quinn squared his shoulders, forcing the thoughts of easy hunting in cities away. He was making an effort and he wouldn't let this minor issue deter him. The darkness returned as the moon disappeared behind another sheet of cloud and he spanned out his senses, walking silently through the woods. They were rather sparse up here and if there was any creature around, it could spot him easily. He wasn't concerned, he'd hunted in the desert before and this was no greater challenge.

He strolled down the hillside, watching his step almost unconsciously. His thoughts were drifting away from finding a meal again and settling, as so often, on Rashel. She'd been reserved these past few days, always seeming to ponder something. He didn't pry, accepting that she wanted to reflect on things for a while. The other soulmates had left a couple of days ago, after a long evening of chatting about their different experiences since being introduced to his world. He'd left them to it after a while, content to check the surrounding area and create himself a picture of the town after it grew dark.

Rashel had seen something in those two. He'd noticed it from the moment they arrived and she had brought up the topic of returning to school. Not that he thought it was ridiculous. It was more of an irritation; confusion because she'd never brought this subject up before. Not once had she indicated wanting to complete her school studies since they'd come to Vegas. It didn't bother him so much that she wanted to, rather that he hadn't expected it at all. It was as though the elfin witch and her partner had held up a mirror and she had seen something different than he had.

Then again, just as she had been thinking he had also returned to considering the connection between everything that had happened. The slave trade close to Hunter's lair, Lily's presence in Vegas, underground efforts to find the double agent guiding the Circle…everything had to fit together in a grand plan. All working towards an ultimate goal but did it really involve the prophecies? Or just an augmentation of Night World influence?

Nilsson had called in the evening for an update and they, in turn, had been informed that there was no progress in the search for wild powers. Either these people were smart enough to keep themselves far away from the heat of things and their identities hidden…or they were completely oblivious. In his perspective, time was an irrelevant factor but everyone seemed to be frantic about time running along far too quickly. An unspoken deadline was approaching and neither side was truly prepared for it.

He reached the end of the tree line and paused. The moon peeked out again and he instinctively backed out of the light. There was subtle movement on the far side of the glade he'd come across. He stepped into the shadows again and stalked towards it, always keeping a handful of trees between himself and the open field.

His attention was back now, soaking up the impressions around and letting the irrelevant ones simply slide into the periphery of his mind. No disturbances around, no indication of other predators. There was a new scent in the air and the closer he got, the easier it was to identify the shapes ahead. Mule Deer. A small gathering of them huddled at the mouth of

the forest, grazing easily under the shelter of the branches. All young ones from what he could see, their antlers just starting to take form again.

He stopped far enough to watch their behaviour, noticing that the wind was in his favour. None of them indicated any sign of distress, some looked half-asleep in their positions. His fangs were aching in his gums and he inched closer, keeping his gaze locked on one of the bucks. Still waiting, still watching the sky with half his awareness. It wouldn't take long now; he almost had everything where he wanted it.

Silent seconds ticked by and the dark returned as the moon was obscured. He didn't waste his time. His muscles uncoiled and he was crossing the space in a flat run, grinning even as the animals zigzagged wildly for cover. He rushed straight through the centre of the group, twisting through the trees as easily as the larger mammals in flight. He kept his eye on the specimen he'd chosen before, not the slowest of the group but doubtlessly the one he wanted tonight.

Five paces into the cover, he used a trunk to propel himself into the animal's path, wrapping an arm around its neck and sending the buck crashing into the next tree with the momentum. It was dazed as it reared out with its legs and he used that advantage to grip the newly grown antlers, press the writhing body against the tree and push his fangs into its neck. One hand fisted in its coat, the other keeping the powerful neck still, he broke skin and tasted life. It fought, survival instinct making it thrash its head in hope of spearing the attacker. Quinn didn't budge; he drank deep until the shock set in and the deer began slumping.

He guided it to the ground, settling one knee onto its heaving torso for better access. Soon the panting lessened, the blood flowed slower. It didn't take him long. He'd ripped a larger wound than he intended. When he let up and ran a hand across the red-soaked fur, it was already dead. He stayed there for a moment, taking in the shape of the animal, the large ears that earned it its name and eyes that reflected the stars. It was a shame but he had needed it all to be satiated.

It was surely well past midnight by now but he took his time pulling the body deeper into the trees, away from the obvious trails. He didn't need this one to be found so quickly, especially after he'd picked off a similar one two days ago. He would have to branch out further in the next couple of days, heading further towards the canyon. He didn't need forest rangers roaming around to deal with the wildlife numbers dropping.

Wiping the last of the blood off into the animal's coat, he continued his trek back towards civilisation. He could grow to like this area; the wilderness had far more to offer than the drier land surrounding Vegas. Most importantly, everything looked untouched by human hand. Despite the baffling modernization he had witnessed in the past years, it was still ungraspable how many spaces like these had been reduced for the sake of large cities. He'd have to take Rashel through the canyons around here before they moved on again.

He wasn't naive to think they could remain here just as they had at Headquarters. Another week or two and one of them would be feeling uneasy and suggest looking for another place. He wouldn't have minded New York again but if he was going to stick to this routine, he needed somewhere rural. He wasn't about to compile a private zoo to feed on.

On the other hand, he was enjoying the freedom here. They had no responsibility to anyone; they could do as they pleased with no boundaries, no justifications or others to mind. He had to push that notion away every now and again to stop himself from flat out seducing her when she was rummaging in the kitchen or sprawled on the sofa with another witch history book from the house owner's shelves. Ever since they'd taken it to another level before the mission, he had trouble hanging onto his rationality when she was alone with him.

He was also struggling to read her on that matter. He'd figured she wanted to speak about it but since their arrival here, she had been preoccupied and he had taken a step back. Things had shifted again in the time they'd been apart and whatever he desired, he knew he needed to be patient this time around. It was her move to make.

The surface under his feet was rocky again, he left the trees behind him. He had a handful of miles ahead but he wasn't bothered to pick up his pace yet. The night kept him in its grasp and he was contented here, unseen and unrestricted. Sometimes he did wish for a way to stop the world from moving, snatch up a moment and stay in it. He'd had that thought a lot in the last couple of weeks.

He'd never been seriously concerned with thinking about the future, ever since he'd made the change. There had been no need to make plans when his time was practically limitless. He'd followed Hunter's guidance until he worked his way up to a position where he didn't need to obey orders anymore. Autonomy had its perks until realization set in that all he was doing was following the ideals another man had imprinted for centuries.

A month into this insane adventure, there were countless aspects worth thinking about. There was somebody else to consider now, somebody who meant more to him than anyone he could recall from his previous life. What Rashel had said several days ago had been eye-opening on a different level. He knew he wanted her, _needed_ her, just as deeply as she had confessed to him. But he'd come to revisit the element of time.

She had a lifespan. Should the apocalypse wipe out the world they were fighting for soon he didn't need to worry about it. In any other case, it was important. Rashel was growing older and he wished nothing less for her than a happy life. What had changed was that he wanted to be part of this life at any cost, however long it was.

He couldn't imagine the future without her beside him and even though he'd accepted that vampirism wasn't something she could ever embrace for her own, it didn't deter his want to be with her. Until the day she died. He supposed in human terms that would equate to marriage but he was definitely not about to spring that on her. This was a new revelation inside him and he was going to keep it there until she was ready to consider it.

The clouds shifted again and he watched his shadow wander across the trail in front of him, copying his motions. He could see the town in the distance, a collection of lights against the blackness. He picked up pace and headed down the slope onto flat land. He didn't bother looking back as a collection of howls sounded somewhere far behind. The wolves he'd expected on his hunt finally coming out. They'd probably do him a favour by polishing the body off. Perhaps he'd come back tomorrow when the moon was full and see what fun they had to offer.

The streets were empty but he walked along the fringes of the suburbs. The main road would have more activity. Out here, in the middle of the week there was nobody around. He'd gotten the layout of the place down quickly and knew the best way to get out of town when unfriendly guests came along. Rashel had taken the task of picking out inconspicuous stores to buy necessities at. Nobody had come to knock on their door and introduce themselves as neighbours yet, which meant they were doing a decent job at keeping out of the public eye.

Nearing the residence, he paused when he heard a scuffling near the lawn of the opposite house. His senses were heightened and as he focused on the area, a mouse scurried out of the bushes and sped across the finely cropped grass. He wasn't close enough to determine whether or not it was a shifter but he highly doubted it. They hadn't stumbled into any trouble yet and if anything, it would not be shifters tailing them. Hunter's regular lackeys had failed; he would send a team of professionals by now.

The house was lifeless when he let himself in. He hadn't expected Rashel to wait up but there was something about this house that made him edgy. Silent. There was no sound throughout the building so he climbed the stairs, trying to shake the feeling. He told himself he was just full of excess energy at this point. Until he stepped foot inside the bedroom and found it just empty, bedcovers untouched. He reached out through the link but Rashel's presence had vanished – she was nowhere close.

It took Quinn less than a minute to search the top floor, another thirty seconds to clear downstairs and then he was standing in the yard, scanning the neighbouring gardens. She wasn't here. Repressing a frustrated growl, he strode back into the hallway. It wasn't in his nature to worry but he sure was now. She hadn't mentioned going anywhere, there was no note. She was gone and the only logical explanation he could come up with was abduction. No signs of a struggle though, no scent of fear in the air. It didn't make sense. Had they been careless again? Had they missed obvious signs?

He placed a hand against the wall, needing something to ground him and get his mind to stop projecting images he didn't want to imagine. Think. Think. Rationalise the situation. If he couldn't feel her anywhere around this place, she could simply be taking a walk. She could have decided to meet him halfway and they'd missed another somehow. Endless possibilities and he was much too agitated now to sit around.

Quinn hit the road again, steering into a random direction. There were no strange cars, no tracks around the house that shouldn't be there. Everything was deserted and looked entirely calm. He followed his instincts towards the town centre, the only place he could imagine her being at this time for a good reason. Windows flashed past him, moonlight casting shadows that suddenly didn't welcome him anymore but seeped across the tarmac.

His concern was starting to morph into fury at a faceless culprit, the longer he kept walking without any sign of life around. He wasn't getting anything and he could just be overreacting. Just as he'd thought he would never do.

The artificial lights blazed as he reached the main road, eyes adjusting to the glare of the signs. There still was life around here at this time. He took everything in. A handful of people hanging around the bars, a tired couple pushing a squirming baby in a stroller, a group of students coming out of a drug store. He swept them out of his mind the moment he passed them, kept walking.

Three blocks down he caught of glimpse of a figure with long, dark hair. The second he stopped mid-stride to look closely, it was beyond clear that it wasn't her. He had known it anyway. He braced himself against a brick wall for a moment and tried to regain his cool. He was getting nowhere this way. He had no idea what he was doing and just going in blind. He forced himself to keep active, keep walking anyway, crossing the street and heading away from the nightlife. He had the rest of the night to keep this up and he was going to damn well find her and make sure she was all right.

He'd barely put the lights behind him when a familiar presence suddenly flared up on the edge of his consciousness. The breath of relief barely registered with him as he picked up his pace, instantly heading in a different direction. Her emotions grew clearer with every step he took and he was startled by the ferocity radiating from her. No pain and desperation at least, he supposed that was good news. He felt her through the bond, so focused on that sensation that he doubted she even noticed his approach. Another ten steps and he reached the mouth of a dim side street. No sign of humans here.

Sounds reached him clearly now at this proximity and he almost paused in his step as he listened. The adrenalin level rose to new heights as he moved along the length of the pavement, closer to the sound of a fight. His skin prickled, he was on his toes and the anticipation was rising as he picked up on details. The furious snarl of a cornered animal. The impact of shoes on the road. The dull noise of flesh hitting the ground, a groan of surprise.

Envisioning the sight already, he turned the corner to find his soulmate hovering over two forms on the street. One of them was rapidly shrinking in size as it desiccated into a corpse.

The initial wave of relief mixed with confusion as he watched Rashel. She had the situation under control, evidently. What was she doing here and who were those vampires? Had they attacked her? Had she been followed? She remained in her crouch for a heartbeat but her back was stiff and he knew she had noticed him entering the scene.

She stood up, keeping the sword at her side. He hadn't seen it in her hand for a while and it was quite a picture to find the wood stained dark, the slick green almost glowing. Her holding onto the weapon was already dampening the possibility that she had been ambushed. He didn't hesitate to approach her.

"What is this?" he asked as he drew nearer.

She sighed, shoulders rising, falling and turned around. Her eyes met his before sliding to the side and fixing back on the bodies. She didn't reply as she bent down and grabbed one of the corpses by the ankle, dragging him towards the side of the road. He kept waiting for an answer as she did the same to the other mummy. Rashel remained silent and concentrated on her task as she took out a lighter and let the tiny flame feed on the dead, dry skin. The fact that she had that gadget with her…the situation was becoming clearer but he didn't want to let this picture account for it just yet.

He stared at the slowly charring heap and even though he didn't utter a word, it bothered him this time around. Had Rashel had the heart to kill him weeks ago, he would have been firing up just like them. Or more likely, sunk in the ocean. She was looking at her work with a strange expression, as though she had been doused in cold water and come back to reality. When she moved in his direction, he stepped in her path.

"Hey…"

"We have to get away from here first," she objected, knowing what he was getting at. She kept walking. Burning always attracted attention and the mummified creatures were enough material for a small bonfire. The few who were out would notice soon, random roadside fires were probably not too common. He didn't care. She could have been dead for all he'd known and he would have had no idea. It was pure luck that he had found her, albeit staking vampires.

He took her by the elbow as she walked past. "I need to _know_ what's happening"

Blazing irises looked back at him, pupils growing small as she faced the flames. Perhaps it was annoyance at him insisting. He couldn't pinpoint it but her intention was obvious enough. "I'm not explaining _this_ to the police, Quinn. We've got to go"

He wasn't going to back down so fast. The police were secondary right now. He could take care of that if he had to but he still had no idea what this was about. What reasons did she have for doing it in the first place? Nobody had come down the street yet so he wasn't about to run away from the scene. "You just staked two vampires and you're not going to tell me what's going on here?"

"Not here," she insisted again and pulled her arm out of his grip, "Come on"

He threw a long look at papery skin peeling off, ashes gathering as the heat ravaged the corpses. Then he followed her back towards the main road. Anger was gradually settling into his body, despite him mirroring her movements. He let her guide them away from the scene. There was something different about her – a primal satisfaction radiating through their chord that was distinctly hers. He was still left in the dark.

They made it out of the town centre, remaining on side roads before the anticipated sirens finally cut through the air. By now the bodies would be close to dust. Not even halfway to their new home but Quinn deemed it a decent compromise of distance. He used the noise as a distraction to pull her towards him again.

She twisted with the sudden motion, ending up eye-to-eye with him. He kept his hold on her upper arm, lest she decided to keep walking away. Knowing she was unharmed had done a lot to placate him but the lack of answers was antagonizing. Surely she knew that he could have forced an answer out of her telepathically by now; he was letting her carry on with this out of simple respect. Even his patience has boundaries in circumstances like these.

"What the hell is happening?"

Her headshake didn't give him the answer he was looking for. She wasn't catching his gaze but sounded very decisive when she told him, "I've got it covered"

He didn't even know how to respond. In what world did she consider this something that wouldn't concern him? Something that he shouldn't worry about. He honestly didn't want to be threatening at this point but she was giving him nothing. Her name left his mouth in an unmistakable growl of warning and she finally quit straining against his hand, eyes snapping up to his. Playing the waiting game wasn't going to cut it for him.

"You're not the only one involved here," he reminded her. She stared back at him in silence, the same stoic quiet she'd coated herself in when he'd found her. When he didn't show any signs of relenting, she caved in.

"I went on a stakeout."

"I can see that," he quipped, not needing to point out the wisps of smoke in the distance.

She took a breath and he could feel the stress in her as she clenched a fist in his grasp. He didn't like pushing her for a reason behind her actions when she didn't want to give one but this…there could have been real trouble and he wasn't going to stand here like a fool who let her keep secrets that could prove deadly.

"Look, I couldn't stay inside anymore," she pressed out, "I can't keep reading that witchy collection about the wars between Night World people, thinking about what's ahead. I have to be out here, I have to _do_ something that actually contributes, even if it's just dealing with vampires that are causing trouble. I can't do it in Vegas so I'll start here"

"By drawing attention to us. By doing exactly what you said we should avoid," he responded.

Her demeanour changed at that and the look she fixed him with was almost condescending. As though he was putting her down for the sake of it. The thought of telling her that he was only acting up because he'd been worried was steadily slipping away. This was so far from what he'd expected to find, he couldn't get his head straight yet. What he was hearing in this conversation was that she'd gone out to search for vampires because there was no other activity around here, her simply wanting to plunge her blade into something.

"Just like hunting doesn't attract any attention," she retorted, face darkening the more she threw herself into the conflict, "You slipped up in L.A. and now you're lecturing me on not being careful about what I do?"

"That has nothing to do with tonight," he flared up.

She had found the weak link in the chain and she held onto it, eyes shining in the streetlight. "It does. You can't give up human blood and I'm the bad guy for not giving up my job? You know what it feels like. You can't get away from it either," she paused, letting another thought form into words, "Those vampires were picking out dinner when I found them and this town is a better place for it"

The anger was rising again, creeping in without a barrier to stop it and he was having a tough time keeping his voice checked in this confrontation. This wasn't even about those two bodies anymore, which were really just a trigger. It was about likening two instances to each other when their positions were entirely opposite.

It was baffling him, the way she was turning the situation around when his slip-up had no connection to this. He had never gone in with the intention to kill those humans. He'd also never asked her to give up the vampire hunting for his sake. It had been a natural development and he couldn't recall giving her a hard time about it. He was trying to be rational, always rational, but his words were giving him away.

"This is not what we're here for"

"What did we come here for then?" she pulled but he kept his grasp unrelenting, "A _holiday_. One where we sit inside and think about other people doing the fighting? One where we pretend we belong here like normal people?"

He wasn't about to let her manifest this into something it had never been. She had come to him with the idea of leaving Vegas, not the other way around. He had to concentrate on keeping his expression from slipping but his tone was dark enough, "You wanted to get away, remember? We could have gone back but you wanted to go cross-country."

"And that was for you!" she exclaimed, face flushing with emotion. "I was protecting you. Protecting everyone."

"I never asked…" he started but was cut short by her.

"You didn't have to," she wrenched against his hold again, her sweater material slipping in his fingers. This time he let her go and watched her put a step between them. She was breathing hard, her knuckles pale around her sword.

He ran his hand across his face in exasperation, turning away from her for a moment. He couldn't grasp the intentions here, couldn't justify her anger. He knew she had given up their newfound life in favour of safety but she had done it of her own accord and blaming him was ridiculous. This defiance was new and it emerged from a motive he couldn't put his finger on yet.

"What do you _want_, Rashel? Live a normallife? Whatever you think this is, it's miles away from that"

"No. You don't understand," she raised her arms slightly, blade whispering through the air with the motion, "that I have to do this. I can't go through with hiding the entire time. It was a naïve idea in the first place. I thought I could handle it, that I'd even enjoy being away. But I can't switch off my head and ignore what's happening out here, not when I'm cut off from it with no way to act."

He looked back at her, conflicted as the comprehension finally set in. What she was skirting around in this argument…it was becoming obvious. He'd sensed something brewing in her in the past few days but he'd assumed she had been pondering the idea of returning to a kind of human life - school and all those things that he'd long forgotten about. It was shaping up to be the opposite. She'd thought of returning to that human life to detract herself from what was really taking place.

He hadn't expected it to all lead back to something far more basic. Her fear of the unknown.

With the understanding, his confusion also grew. Why had she not just opened up to him before? She had put distance between them in the last few days, built a wall in the way she had been used to all those years to hide the fact that she was scared. She was powerful enough to stand up to her enemies for so long but powerless now against something that seemed inevitable and simultaneously indefinite.

Her fate was, in the widest sense, in the hands of four individuals she didn't even know and here they were rooted in place without the ability to search for them. It looked like she hadn't been able to figure out a better way to handle that fear than returning to old habits. A security blanket.

The simplicity of the problem was counteracted by the way she had excluded him from it. This conflict would not have happened if she had just let him know about her apprehension, they would have figured out a way to deal with it.

"You should have told me," he stated, advancing towards her again, "Any indication and I wouldn't have needed to search for you because I would know…"

He drew up short there before he could give himself away entirely. Looking towards the sky as though to shove the words straight back down his throat, he avoided her gaze. Here he was, confessing to losing his self-control at the thought of something having happened to her when she had just used him as a scapegoat. What was going on with him tonight?

He felt his soulmate's stance slowly change though as the sudden quiet filled the space. The sirens diminished in the backdrop, the hostility dropped away too. There was a shift in emotions as the meaning of what he'd been about to say reached her. It was her turn to understand his thought pattern. A different tension settled over them that neither tried to break until Rashel read between the lines, "You thought I was gone."

A million scenarios of gone. He tipped his head back down to face her. "Something like that."

She let the following silence speak for itself. Even so, her apology seemed to radiate from her body through his, travelling into his system and soothing the last remnants of worry. It almost made the dispute fade into the background.

"I didn't want to drag you into this," she finally told him in a quieter voice, accusation disappeared from her speech. Then, even softer, the words that both of them were thinking anyway, "I'm sorry"

"I know." She'd understood his side of the story just as he had hers. They'd reached some kind of even ground and could figure out where to go from here. The one remaining question was – what to do?

They could stay here, hunting individually with different intentions but only one of them would gain peace of mind from it. They could move on and look for another place, finding their own way as they had before. They could negotiate with Thierry about returning and facing the threat on their own terms, away from the circle. As long as she didn't leave him out of the loop again, he could handle just about any alternative.

As much as he would have wanted to press the subject, the flash of lights in the periphery of his awareness had him on alert again. After this, he really didn't have the patience to deal with being discovered by the police. He reached for Rashel instinctively to cover her, placing himself in front of the line of sight from the street. She was surprised by the motion and didn't even attempt to put up a fight.

She glanced over his shoulder, noting the police car speed past on the main road and head west. Then her attention swung back to Quinn, who also just realized that his movement had put him barely a hair's breadth away. He locked gazes with her, drank in the heightened thud of her heart at this proximity. She breathed in once, twice before her thoughts were back in order and murmured, "Let's get back"

He agreed, staying by her side as they rounded the corner and continued their path. The darkness was still complete even though it must be nearing dawn. She did well at keeping the sword out of sight, blending into her black clothing and keeping it close to her body. He had his eyes on the surroundings, scanning for any threat but couldn't stop his other senses from zeroing in on Rashel.

He still wasn't quite sure what had just happened between them. Despite all the things they'd just thrown at another, there was a pounding under his skin that had nothing to do with anger anymore. Or maybe it was just that. They rarely fought about something seriously and even more rarely, fought so verbally. In any other circumstance, both of them would be physically worn out.

They had already reached the neighbourhood when she probed the link. _Quinn._

_Hm? _He half-turned, attention entirely on her.

Her face was pale under the fading moon, a solemn expression that watched him carefully. Her mind wasn't so calm when she told him; _I didn't mean to blame you. I know I made the decision to come here by myself._

_No useless apologies, _he reminded her, _I agreed._

She smiled meekly at the words, a reminder of a conversation that had taken a different turn than the one tonight. He felt the trickle of relief through their link and knew it was exactly she needed to put the guilt behind her. She kept pace with him until they reached the house. The area was as empty as before, no sign of authorities combing the place. They would have no decent evidence to go on, it was doubtful they even knew it had been a murder. Rashel knew what she was doing after all.

Everything was just as he had left it but he was feeling careful tonight. He went in first, subtly checking for signs of intruders while they'd been away and wasn't surprised to find it just as untouched. His soulmate let the door snap into place behind them and he listened to her footsteps moving away as she climbed the stairs.

He threw a look out into the backyard just to be sure. It was vacant, only the spring grass flattened by a breeze every now and again. Beyond the garden boundaries, a dusting of light was becoming visible on the horizon. The morning of the day where they would devise a new plan, this time without the pressure of imminent attack. He was so focused on the possibilities behind the skyline that he was almost caught off guard when she appeared behind him again.

"Do we have company?" she wondered aloud.

He couldn't help the smirk that crept across his lips. Of course she would also be thinking about danger surrounding the house, even after taking out two potential threats. _Not tonight._

She chuckled as she caught onto the irony, sharing his amusement. Walking past him to the adjacent window, she pressed a finger onto the glass and drew invisible lines. She had traded the dark clothes for an oversized t-shirt, her hands appearing almost empty without her weapon. He met her glance as she tilted her head and leaned it against the window. _Do you ever think we're a little bit damaged?_

He didn't even need to think about that one. _Yes_.

She blinked at him and although apology was still etched into her eyes, she didn't falter. _Maybe that's why the universe thinks we fit so well._

She lifted her body up, drifting over to him. He reached for her when she was close enough, laying a hand against her neck. He could practically feel his skin stealing her warmth. Her arms wrapping around his waist told him that she wasn't bothered in the least. Still, he wasn't innocent enough to assume that her actions weren't fuelled by her desire to make it up to him. He'd seen this before. Never mind how much he wanted her, it wasn't the way he wanted this to go.

Despite himself, he let his hand drop from her. _You don't have to prove anything._

She nodded, barely an inch away. Neither of them backed up though and he could feel the miniscule tremor starting in his hands, the longer he stood there exercising control over his impulses. Her fingers eased their pressure against his back and slid away before he could break. She took a moment to leave him in that state of suspension, on the verge of moving away. Then she leaned in, lips closing over his.

_I'm not. _


End file.
